Road to Succession
by BabyAngel9614
Summary: L takes Near and Mello away to teach them everything he knows so they may one day takes his place. What begins as an innocent training term quickly turns into an event none of them will ever forget. LxNear & MattxMello at first then NearxMattxMello later. Warning: The first couple chapters are innocent, but there WILL BE explicit yaoi pairings later on. Also, I do not own DN.
1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**_ Hello, my beauties! First of all, I just want to say that this chapter is a short intro of the story, but I really hope you read it in its entirety. I have been battling with this story for over a year now, but it is by far one of my favorites. I am super proud of this and I'm glad to get it going. _

_THIS IS AN AU! I don't really even try to follow canon because I just wanted to have some fun with it. Mello, Near, and Matt are all 16 and L is about 18. Again, just roll with it cus I really just made my own world. Also, they really don't even know who L is. They knew he existed, but never saw his face. _

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action._

**~/~**

Mello and Near stood at the entrance of Wammy's House, each clutching a small suitcase. The hot June air brushed across Mello's bare arm, cooling the beads of sweat that were forming there. Near had crouched down on the soft grass and was playing with a toy robot. Despite his boyish looks and antics, Near was the same as Mello at 16 years and some odd months. Quillish Wammy, or Watari as he was now referred, was speaking in hushed tones to the boy that was soon to take Near and Mello away. To say the boy was odd would have been a dramatic understatement. He was standing barefoot on the grass of the front lawn curling his toes in the green blades. He had a permanent arch in his back that put him at several inches below his actual height and his black eyes were rimmed with indented circles under a wild array of nappy raven hair. His mouth was steadily moving, but his eyes never focused on Wammy. The sun shone off his white t-shirt and seemed to put an angel-like glow around the pale creature. Every once in a while he would raise his right hand to his mouth and chew his thumb. Mello idly wondered why Wammy wanted him and Near to go with this boy. He didn't look to be much more than 18, so he highly doubted he was going to adopt them. Wammy hadn't told them anything other than to have a bag packed and be outside at eight o' clock in the morning sharp. He glanced down at Near who was still playing. He didn't look at all concerned with the current situation. Stupid brat.

"Boys," Wammy said as he came over to them and placed a hand on Mello's shoulder and Near head. He ruffled the soft white tufts of hair there a bit and squeezed Mello's shoulder. "I want you two to meet someone very special." He looked around a bit before leaning in a bit closer to the two. "That young man there is L, and he's come to take you two under his wing and teach you everything you need to know. This is the next step in becoming true successors."

Both boys stared with wide eyes. They had known from the time they arrived at Wammy's House that they were being trained to follow in the footsteps of the great detective L. Each boy at the house was special in their own way, but Near and Mello and showed exemplary skills and had been chosen as the next two in line for the legacy of L. They had known that there would be another step, but they never imagined said step would involve one on one interaction with L himself. Near raised to his feet, clutching his robot to his chest. His eyes were full of wonder as he analyzed the boy in front of him.

L stared back at the pair of teens in front of him. There were obvious differences between them. Nate River, or Near as he was code named, was small and gentle. He, like L, liked to stay crouched and small. He was very sharp and paid very close attention to detail. There wasn't a puzzle on earth he couldn't solve. In fact, he spent most of his time curling a lock of his white hair around his finger while he played with puzzles and other toys. Mihael Kheel, or Mello, was quite the opposite. His eyes glared back at L fiercely under his yellow hair. A half melted bar of chocolate was hanging loosely in his left hand. L had been told that the teen was prone to violence and liked guns. He and his closest friend Mail Jeevas were infamous for getting into a ruckus that often ended in blood being shed. His thing was intimidation and manipulation. Everyone had a price and a breaking point. L bit his thumb. This would be a tough decision.

"Where are you taking us?" Mello inquired as Wammy loaded their suitcases into the back of a long black limousine.

L cocked an eyebrow at the boy. "Away. In order to properly train you two, I must have your complete and undivided attention."

"I assume you aren't going to tell us where 'away' is, am I correct?" Near's eyes hadn't left L since they first laid upon him. He was studying him closely.

The edges of L's mouth twitched in the slightest. Near was quick. "Yes. You would be correct." Without another word, L turned on his heel and climbed into the back of the limo. "Come along." L said smoothly. "We have much work to do in the little time I have."

Near and Mello joined L in the back of the limo. When the door shut behind them, the space was pitch black. The windows of the limo had been completely blacked out. This way, Near and Mello would have no idea where they were being taken. L pushed a tiny button on the door that switched on several lights that illuminated the area. He was holding a canvas sack out to the two. "Please put all cellphones, pagers, gaming systems, and all other electronic devices into the bag. I want both of your complete and undivided attention at all times except when you are asleep."

The boys looked at each other for a moment. Mello's phone felt like a block of lead in his pocket. That was his only way to keep in touch with Matt… He thought of Matt for the first time that morning. The idea that he didn't know what he would see his best friend again crossed over his mind and he felt a quake in his stomach. Since he met the eccentric red head with goggles and a Gameboy, the two had been inseparable. Just the thought of not seeing him again caused a tightness in his throat.

"Mello," the sound of L's voice brought Mello back to reality. "Please relinquish your electronics."

Mello sighed in annoyance as he shoved his hand in his pocket, pulled his phone out, and dropped it in the bag.

L chewed his thumb. He never had experience dealing with teenagers, and he knew Mello was quite the handful. This would be truly interesting.


	2. The Storm

**Author's Note:**_ WARNING! This chapter contains a (semi?) graphic description of a murder/rape case. This is a fictional case that I came up with and any resemblance to an actual case is complete coincidence. For mature readers only. Oh and BTW… Yaoi pairings starting in the next chapter (in case it wasn't obvious). Thank you, my beauties, for continuing to read my material! I couldn't do it without all of you!_

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**~/~**

The car ride proved to be long and boring. L was tapping away at a silver laptop, Near was having a pretend war with his little toy soldiers, and Mello was staring at the black window before him. Unfortunately, all of his chocolate bars were in his suitcase, so he was on edge. The tapping of the keyboard and the _clunk_ of plastic figures knocking into each other was enough to make the blonde boy scream. Thankfully, the limo pulled into a covered parking garage and they were soon ushered out of the limo and into an elevator. L didn't speak a word as the elevator rose up and up to the top floor of the building. When the elevator doors slid open, the trio was face to face with a luxurious pent house suite.

"Welcome home." L said as he walked from the elevator into the large central area that was set up with 3 desks, each with a rather comfortable looking chair and a laptop. The far wall was lined from floor to ceiling with dozens upon dozens of screens. Each screen was showing surveillance of a different location. "Each of you will claim a desk that will become your permanent work space. For instance," he sat down at the desk facing the wall of screens. "This is my desk." Near immediately came forward and took the desk to L's right, giving the other to Mello by default. Not that he gave a damn which desk he sat at. He casually walked over to his new work space and sat. His and Near's desks were facing each other, so he could never escape that damned brat. He groaned at this.

"You will notice three other doors in the room, each labeled. These will be your bedrooms." The boys looked around and sure enough there were three doors in various spots along the green wallpapered walls. Each door held a wooden plaque labeled L, M, and N. They were configured much like the desks. The L room was in the middle with M and N on either side. Near was slightly annoyed that they weren't in alphabetical order. "These are the only places in which you will be granted complete privacy. There are no bugs or wires, and we will all knock before entering one another's respective rooms. Understood?"

Both boys nodded. Maybe looking after two teenage boys wouldn't be so bad. He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out two large binders that were full to bursting with papers. The binders hit his desk with a loud _BANG _causing Near to jump slightly. He hated loud noises. L noticed this immediately. "These," he said as he snagged a sugar cube from the container on his desk and popped it in his mouth, "are your first tests. This is one of the first cases I ever solved. I have prepared a binder of all the evidence gathered for said test. Each of you will have full access to all the files and resources I had. You must work on your own. I will be available for some assistance, but, if what I have heard about you two is correct, that will not be necessary. We will see who can come to the correct conclusion first." L got up from his desk and gave Mello and Near one of the black binders. It weighed a ton and easily had a thousand scraps of paper with mug shots, police reports, and crime scene photos. From the look of it, this was a serial murder case.

"While you work on those," L said as he replaced himself on his chair. "I will be working on a continuing investigation. I may ask for your assistance as sort of a… bonus." With that he opened his laptop and began pecking at the keys with his two index fingers.

And that was how the first afternoon in their new home commenced. Both boys sat in absolute silence as they leafed through the various pages of the case file. L had called room service and Mello was happy enough to shout when a silver platter of gold foil wrapped chocolate bars were delivered by Wammy himself. He also brought Near a box filled with various toys and puzzles and L a tray of goodies. Instead of speaking to the boys, Wammy simply delivered the goods and left as silently as a church mouse. Near thought this was odd. Usually, when Wammy visited the orphanage he would speak with all the children one on one. When he was serving L, he was a completely different person. Near considered saying something, but Mello and L were both completely engrossed in their work.

Near idly put a puzzle together as he thought over the details of the case. The first report was from New York City. A man was taken into a warehouse and beaten senselessly and murdered. The victim was a young Dominican man who was openly gay and lived with his fiancé, a young African American man, in uptown New York. The autopsy report showed the victim had been brutally sodomized with a large, blunt object and a Y had been carved into the man's back with a blade similar to a box cutter. There were no fingerprints, shoe marks, or DNA found at the scene. The murder took place in December, only a couple of weeks before Christmas. Pictures of the crime scene showed that his face had been bashed in with a blunt object, presumably the same one used to sodomize him. Near shuddered. It never ceased to amaze him how carnal human beings could be. The next report was only three days later. A middle aged Caucasian woman was found in an ally brutally raped, donning the same Y on her back. This woman was a lesbian, but she was not officially outed and had no partner. A rape kit showed no semen, so, again, no DNA was ever found. A few yards from her body, a bloody aluminum baseball bat was found. The blood was traced back to both the male and female victims and also showed to be the object used to molest both victims, but there was no other DNA or prints on the weapon. Near glanced over the pictures of the second scene. The woman may have been older, but she was still very youthful and beautiful. Unlike the male, her face hadn't been bashed, but post mortem bruises were found all over her torso. Why had the killer waited to assault her after she was dead? He had tortured the male victim then killed him. Near immediately pegged this as a hate crime because both victims were homosexual, but he also knew that the killer had more respect for the female. Why was this? He sighed and closed the binder with a _THUD_. He rubbed his tired eyes and checked the time on his laptop. It was nearly midnight. They had been going at this for 12 hours and neither of them had come up with a suspect. He stretched and stifled a yawn.

"Is Near-kun giving up for the night?" L was munching on some sugar cookies as he stared at his screen.

"Yes," Near said simply. "Traveling has always exhausted me, and I cannot think straight when fatigued." Mello sighed in relief. His eyes had started stinging and his mind swimming nearly an hour ago, but he refused to be the first to quit.

L noticed his outward reflection of relief. "Fine," he said rising to his feet. "I think it best we all turn in for the night." He walked to his bedroom door and only paused briefly to wish them both a good night before entering.

**~/~**

When Mello got to his room, he was surprised to see that all his things had been put away for him. He hadn't noticed anyone coming into the apartment, and there was only one entrance into the bedroom. He sighed and sat down on the extra fluffy bed. He wished he was back at Wammy's. Had he been home, he and Matt would be up to something. A quake hit his stomach again when he thought about Matt. He missed him desperately and they hadn't been apart for even 24 hours. He reached for the phone in his pocket and cursed when he remembered it wasn't there. Damn L had took it from him. Then an idea struck him: he could use the laptop L had given them to contact Matt via email. He quickly retrieved the thin silver computer from his desk and practically sprinted back to his bed. He called up the email and typed as fast as his fingers would allow:

_Matt,_

_I don't know if you know where I am. Hell, I don't even know where I am. Wammy sent us away with L. We are doing some sort of training to be his successor. I am stuck here with that brat Near. Would much rather be back home. With you. I miss you._

His fingers hesitated a bit at that last part. It sounded kind of needy, but that was exactly how he felt. He decided to leave it.

_I hope this email goes through. I wouldn't be surprised if L blocked the communications._

_From: Mello (obviously)_

Mello clicked the send button and waited with bated breath until the computer binged and the word _SENT_ flashed across the screen. Only minutes later, an envelope appeared on the screen. Mello clicked it and was overjoyed to see it was from Matt.

_Hey Fuckface!_

Mello grinned at the very Matt-like greeting.

_No wonder! I've been texting you all day and you haven't answered. Guess I can't be mad at you anymore. Wammy and Roger haven't told any of us anything. I got kinda worried. We'll see just what this amazing L has blocked. Log in to your Skype. I'll be giving it a ring in 5._

_Matt out._

Mello gasped as if he had discovered something amazing. Why hadn't he thought of that? Matt and Mello often used Skype in the middle of the night to talk to each other when they couldn't sleep. He quickly logged on and it wasn't long before he got an alert from Matt's profile. He clicked the little green phone and smiled when he saw that red head laying on his stomach across his bed.

"Mello!" The red head smiled back. "Glad to see you're all in one piece. Everyone thinks you and Near got shipped off to another country."

Mello shrugged. "Could be. I have no idea where the fuck I am. We were put into a blacked out limo and brought here. L won't tell us anything. He's got us working on some old case. Like we are supposed to prove our worth or something."

"Prisoners, huh?" Matt did that cute half smile he always did that made Mello's stomach flutter. "That's kinda hot. Better keep your door locked." He winked devilishly.

Mello laughed. Matt always had that effect on him. "I'll remember that. Thanks." His face fell and he looked away from the pair of orange tinted goggles staring at him. "I miss you, man."

Matt frowned a bit too. "Hey, man, don't talk like that. It's not like you're gone forever. You'll come back. I'll be sure to save all the good pranks for when you get back."

Mello sighed. "I don't know. What if they don't sent us back? What if I never see you again?" When he looked back up, Matt had removed his goggles and those bright green eyes were penetrating Mello's blue ones.

There was silence for a moment before Matt spoke. "That's not going to happen. I won't let them take you away from me."

**~/~**

_Prisoners, huh?_ L chewed his thumb as he watched the live feed of the two boys talking. L had guessed Mello would try to get in touch with Mail Jeevas. A loud clap of thunder shook the room a bit and L glanced out the window. A thunderstorm was coming.

A tiny knock sounded on his door and he shut his laptop. Who could that be? "Come in." He said as he put the evidence of his eavesdropping away. He was surprised when the door opened and a small figure in an oversize white button down was standing there clutching a plush teddy bear to his tiny chest. His black eyes were peeping out wide and innocent under the white tresses of his hair. "Near-kun. Is something wrong?"

The boy stepped forward, keeping his eyes at his feet. As he approached, L could see the red blush on his cheeks. Another loud thunder clap sounded and Near nearly jumped out of his skin. He buried his face in his teddy companion and whimpered a bit. Despite being 16 years old, he looked like a small child. L immediately understood. "You're afraid of the thunder." He remembered how the boy had jumped when he threw the binder down on his desk. Near nodded, his whole body flushing in embarrassment. L bit his thumb. What was he to do about this?

"I was w-wondering," Near's voice was tiny and fragile. "I-if maybe I could s-stay here."

L stared at him for a moment. He wanted to stay with him? In his bed? Sleep here for the night? He blinked. He had never been in this situation. Of course, there was nothing wrong with being afraid and L had taken on the responsibility of the boy's welfare. It was his job to take care of them. Near was about to turn away and run back to his room, but L suddenly threw back the soft duvet on his bed and patted the mattress. Near smiled and crawled into the large bed. It was much bigger and softer than his. He sunk his head into the pillow and watched curiously as L continued to look through case files that were spread on the bed. He wondered if the detective ever slept. The warmth and softness of the bed quickly overcame Near and he slipped into a sweet sleep next to L.

The small boy had been asleep for a while. His melodic breathing was somehow calming to L. He sighed. One boy wanted nothing more than to go home and the other was still afraid of loud noises. He had a lot of work to do before they were ready to be his successors. L's eyes shot sideways when he noticed Near moving restlessly in his sleep. His hand stretched out for the teddy bear that had already fallen off the side of the bed. His face scrunched up in his sleep and the other hand reached out and came in contact with L's leg. The boy scooted over until his face was pressed against the rough fabric of L's jeans. He smiled and sighed in his sleep.

L stared wide eyed at the sleeping figure. His fingers were gripping L's jeans and he was nuzzling his leg. His face was so soft and gentle looking, like a little cherub. Without thinking, he reached down and brushed away the white hair that was covering his eyes. His fingers lingered on Near's cheek and he immediately pressed his face harder into L's hand. He was soon caressing the boy's face gently. His skin was silky smooth and warm under his fingers. He wondered if the pale skin under the white button up was just as soft. L shook his head. What the hell was he thinking? Near was only 16, just a child._ You're only a couple of years older than him,_ he reminded himself. That didn't matter. He was supposed to be training him, not having fantasies about him. Running his hands over that warm flesh… Claiming his rosy lips… Hearing him whimper under his fingertips… L angrily threw the manila folder in his lap to the ground, spilling its contents. He had to stop this foolish day dreaming. He had work to do. He grabbed the laptop angrily and dove head first into his case, ignoring the sleeping angel next to him.


	3. Rising Tension

**Author's Note:** _Not much to say other than enjoy! This is the first of the multiple pairings. Once again, thank you for all the support! I love my beauties!_

_Looking back at the original draft of this that was posted on nearly 9 months ago really kinda disappointed me. For some reason, I always had a different vision for this chapter but when I published it originally I just couldn't make what I wanted to happen… Happen! But, as they say, sometimes the best thing to do is take a break and come back. So, here we are 9 months later and I am actually pleasantly pleased with how it turned out. I hope all of you like it as much as I do!_

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**~/~**

Near's head was resting on something soft and warm that was gently rising and falling in a melodic way that seemed to lull him gently out of his sleep. In the distance he heard the low grumble of thunder and tiny pecks of rain that were hitting against a nearby window. His eyes opened slightly and he was confused by his surroundings. It took him a while to remember exactly where he was. He opened his eyes a little more and saw his hand gripping a handful of white fabric. He lifted his head a bit and realized that he had been lying on L's stomach, just at his navel. One hand was gripping a handful of his white t-shirt and the other was tangled in his own hair. L moved a bit in his sleep and Near felt the hand resting on his back shift down a few inches.

"How did this happen?" He wondered as he twisted the lock of hair around his finger. Then he remembered. The thunderstorm last night had frightened him and so he came here looking for solace. He realized how utterly childish it was for him to run to the room of a man he had only met a few hours previous. He wasn't used to having to deal with things on his own. Back at Wammy's, there was a young woman named Kyso that worked in the kitchen. Whenever Near got frightened, he would go to her and she could give him sweets and a hug. It was the closest thing the boy ever had to a mother. He didn't realize how much he looked up to her and depended on her until she was gone. L probably thought Near was completely childish.

He pushed himself away from the sleeping detective and sat on the bed with his knees at his chest and his left hand resting there on his knees as the fingers of his right hand tangled in his messy locks. L lay sprawled out in front of him. The soft white duvet pooled at his waist and his jeans were just barely poking out into view every now and then. His head was turned away from Near and his right thumb was just grazing at his bottom lip. Near found himself somehow transfixed by the motion of the little digit that was slowly moving back and forth. L sighed in his sleep and moved until he was on his side facing Near, one hand brought his thumb to his mouth and the other rested on his abdomen. His eyebrows knit together and smoothed out several times. Near realized he must have been having a dream based on his actions. The young boy's eyes widened as L's hand slid lower and disappeared under the soft blankets. Just then, L took a sharp intake of breath and his hips thrust forward a bit.

Near's cheeks broke out in a wild blush and goose bumps broke out across his skin. Was L stimulating himself in his sleep? The invisible hand moved again, eliciting another gentle growl from L. Near couldn't take this anymore. Just being here and witnessing this made him feel like an unwelcome intruder. He quickly slid off the tall bed and escaped to his own bedroom, making sure no one was around to see him.

**~/~**

L woke with a start. He rubbed his face and sighed. He was still coming off the haze of a particularly interesting dream. He couldn't remember the face, but he could definitely remember the feel of soft, silky skin rubbing against his body. Those gentle lips that were placing the softest of kisses across his midriff and hands caressing the tender skin below his navel. His hand tightened into a fist and he hissed as a surge shot through his abdomen. He looked down to see his left hand had snaked under the waist of his jeans and boxers and he was holding a handful of his own erect manhood.

L sighed again deeply and removed his hand. This type of thing wasn't a particularly abnormal occurrence. He was 18 and still dealing with the annoying aftershocks of puberty. Normally, L could afford to take the time to satisfy his more carnal urges, but things were too busy in this little suite to accommodate such luxuries. He forced himself to sit up and swing his legs off the side of the bed. Upon standing, his foot came into contact with something quite soft and he looked down to see he had crushed the leg of a rather sad and abandoned looking teddy bear.

He stooped over and retrieve the plush toy between his thumb and forefinger. "Near," he mumbled. He remembered the white haired boy had come to him in the middle of the night and fallen asleep in his bed. He remembered how angel-like he looked, fast asleep, clutching at L's jeans as if he was seeking comfort. Where was the boy now? He obviously wasn't still in the bed, but L hadn't felt him get up, and L was usually a light sleeper. He must have been more invested in his dreams than he originally thought.

There was a knock on his door and Watari entered. "I have brought your breakfast. Near and Mello are both waiting in the work area."

L nodded and half smiled at his dear friend. "Thank you, Watari. I will be right out."

The old man returned the smile and disappeared.

**~/~**

Mello flipped through the evidence and took a bite out of his chocolate bar. He didn't care about any of this. He had spent all day yesterday and three hours today scouring every inch of the evidence. There was no fingerprints, footprints, or DNA of any kind at any of the crime scenes. How could he be expected to find a murderer who left nothing behind? In truth, his mind wasn't on the case. He kept drifting back to Matt. He had sent him three emails since the time he woke up and he hadn't heard anything yet. He was starting to get worried. The thought made him roll his eyes at himself. He was starting to sound like one of those over attached girlfriends who don't even let their significant other take a piss alone.

From the corner of his eye, he looked at Near. The brat had been quieter than usual and he kept his head low, avoiding everyone's glance. Whenever L could casually get in the vancinity of the boy, Near would lower his head even more and feign intent interest in whatever what in front of him. _What is all this about?_ Mello idly wondered, happy to have an alternate item to contemplate than the one on his desk. Why was Near very obviously avoiding L? Had there been a disagreement in the night? Mello hadn't heard any signs of a scuffle, but that didn't mean there hadn't been one. But, what could it have been about? The boys had only been here for a day. What could have possibly happened to already start a feud?

"Chasity Fervid." Mello's head shot up to the source of the sound. Near was twirling his finger in his hair in one hand and holding a picture of a young blonde woman in the other. What the hell? That little brat had figured it out. Mello's hand tightened into a fist that broke his candy bar in half. Seeing Near outdo him really pissed him the fuck off.

L looked up from his laptop nonchalantly at Near. "Explain your reasoning."

"The person who committed the crimes was obviously targeting homosexuals, but also showed remorse on female victims. All crime scenes were wiped completely clean, showing signs of moderate to severe OCD. From the way the male victims were treated, I went ahead and assumed the suspect had a history of abuse from a male in their life. Because of the remorse on females, I also made the assumption that the suspect was in fact female herself, but did not agree with homosexuality. Chasity stuck out to me immediately. She was taken from her father when she was a child and the state pressed charges against him for physical and sexual abuse. She was taken in by her grandmother, who raised her in the local church. In her early teens she started seeing a therapist who diagnosed her with severe OCD, PTSD from her encounters with her father, and mild Schizophrenia." Near shut the binder and placed the picture on the top. "She fits the profile I was able to create perfectly."

The side of L's mouth pulled up just slightly. "You are correct, Near-kun." He got out of his chair and collected the binders from both boys. Mello couldn't help but notice he didn't acknowledge him in the slightest. He was too busy congratulating that brat. "I am very impressed. I was able to solve this case from scratch in 72 hours." He glanced at a clock on the nearby wall. "It has only taken you just over 24 to come to my conclusion based on the evidence I was able to collect." Near had a triumphant smile on his face that Mello wanted to slap right off. He could have solved that case if he had wanted to. Near wasn't better than him. And what was L trying to pull? He was practically kissing Near's stupid little feet. Another thick binder landed on his desk and his eyes shot up and collided with the two cold black ones that were staring back at him. There was no sympathy, sadness, or smugness. They were completely empty. Mello's, however, were full of obvious rage. "This time you will have different cases. Each of you are expected to solve it on your own. I will not be of any assistance." L turned from Mello and handed Near his binder gently. What the fuck was going on? Showing favoritism wasn't a characteristic the great L was told to have. Mello wouldn't be surprised to see L drop to his knees and worship Near.

Mello peeked inside and read the summary quickly. It was a kidnapping case. Some sicko took the twin daughters of a London Parliament member. It was a cold case, and the twins had long since been declared dead. The date of the kidnapping made the case over 30 years old. Why was he even bothering? He glared at Near, who was proudly flipping through his papers. He hated that smug little face. He wouldn't care if he never saw that stupid little brat again. He was always the favorite. Wammy took up extra time with him, a woman on the kitchen staff doted on him, and now he had stolen the affections of L himself. There was no way Mello would become the successor this way. Near looked up suddenly and locked eyes with Mello. They were wide and full of false innocence. Any normal person would look upon this face and immediately take pity on the scrawny boy before them. All Mello felt was rage. He wanted nothing more than to squish Near under his boot like the bug he was. Mello shot up, sending his chair flying backwards until it hit the wall. He knocked the binder to the floor, stormed off to his room, and slammed the door with so much force L was surprised it was still in one piece.

"Maybe you should go talk to him," Watari suggested as he refilled the tea cup on L's desk. He looked up at the old man as if to say _Do I have to?_ and the old man chuckled. "You were quite temperamental at that age, too. I'm sure you will remember that you and I had our share of spats over the years."

L sighed. Of course, Watari was right. L had been in his care since he was a small child, and Watari was the closest thing L ever had to a father. He had raised him and he truly loved him. L got out of the chair he was perched in and walked to Mello's door. He knocked gently and was answered by a harsh "Go the hell away!" L pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn't cut out for this. Most men started out with infants and worked their way up to teenagers. L had skipped the easy stuff. He grabbed the knob and was surprised to find it wasn't locked. He turned it and opened the door, coming face to face with the cold barrel of a gun being aimed right between his eyes.

"I said go away!" Mello hissed. His finger was on the trigger and his eyes were aflame.

L didn't even flinch. He knew as well as Mello that the silly gun wasn't loaded. He had the staff remove all bullets from Mello's things yesterday. "Mello. You have behaved like a child, not like someone fit to be L's successor."

Mello laughed without humor. "Why bother? I already know you're going to pick that white haired pipsqueak in there. You take to him just like everyone else. What did he do to draw you in so quickly? What did he put out that I didn't? I have given my entire life in the pursuit to be just like you!" There was an obviously poisonous drip to his words. "What does that brat have over me?"

Is that what this was about? Jealousy? L nearly scoffed, but bit his tongue. He knew that Mello's temper fits could often result in violence. "Near is more pleasing to people because he doesn't go around pointing guns at the heads of those who are only trying to help him. Maybe if you would act more becoming, people would take to you as well. You may not think so, but this job does rest heavily upon the opinion of others. If no one likes working with you, then you will be out of the job before you are given your first case."

Mello pulled the trigger and a metallic _CLINK_ filled the room. He was seething with rage and fighting back every urge to punch L in the face. He had heard of that famous kick the detective possessed, so he decided against a fight. L simply stared at him for a few more seconds with those cold, unfeeling eyes before leaving. Mello yelled out, threw the empty gun across the room, and fell face down on his bed. God he just wanted to go home.

**~/~**

Mello was staring at the ceiling as if there was something quite interesting up there. Wammy had come in twice throughout the course of the day to bring him something to eat, but he refused. All he wanted was to be away from L, away from Near, and back home where things made sense. He rolled over on his stomach and refreshed his email. Still nothing. He cursed. He had typed out a long email to Matt over 2 hours ago explaining what happened and he never got a reply. Even Matt had abandoned him. He rolled off the bed and retrieved the gun he had thrown earlier. He reached into the chest pocket of his leather vest and his fingers wrapped around a single bullet. L may have thought he was smart, but Mello was never without a bullet. Never. He put the gun in the revolver, spun it, cocked it, and pressed it to his temple. It would be nothing to pull the trigger 6 times. The bullet had to be in one of the chambers. He was always fond of a little Russian roulette. Suddenly, his laptop chimed and an envelope appeared on the screen. He clicked it and a 6 word email came up.

_PULL THE TRIGGER. I DARE YOU._

Mello gasped and checked the address. It was from Matt. He looked around the room quickly. How the hell did he know…? The computer chimed again.

_Look to the left, dumbass._

Mello shot his head to the window on the left side of the room and saw a skinny red head with a striped sweater and goggles sitting on the fire escape smoking a cigarette and holding an iPhone. Shit. It was Matt. Mello felt like he was looking right at a ghost.

The boy smiled and motioned for Mello to open the window. Mello quickly crossed the room and threw open the window. He grabbed the boy by his shirt and violently tossed him to the floor. "What the fuck, Matt?!"

Matt grinned and held up the bottle of Grey Goose vodka he had been hiding behind his back. "I heard you were having issues. I brought you something to help."

Mello snatched the bottle, popped the top, and took a long drink, holding back the urge to vomit. Vodka definitely wasn't his go to drink, but he would take what he could get. His chest warmed a bit as the clear liquid traveled down to his empty stomach. Matt jumped to his feet, took the bottle, and took his own large gulp. He smiled at Mello when he finished. "So, what's up, dude?"

Mello couldn't help but smile at his friend. Damn it, he could never stay angry when Matt was around. Matt crossed the room and locked the door. "Just in case you get another visitor." He then walked over to the bed and sat down as he took another long draw from the bottle.

Mello joined him, reclaiming the alcohol in one hand and tightening his grip on the pistol in his other. "How did you find me?"

Matt shrugged. "Traced the email and used the IP address from that Skype call to find your location." He elbowed Mello. "You didn't think I called just to talk to your ugly mug, did you?"

Mello laughed and laid back on the bed. The alcohol was starting to calm him down and make him feel at ease. He needed it. He had been tense since he met L.

Matt also laid down beside Mello. "Fuck them, man. L doesn't know you well enough to make accusations. You're not an awful person."

"You heard that, did you?" Mello took another drink and struggled to keep it down. God he hated vodka.

Matt nodded and propped his head up on his hand so he was looking down on his friend. "They don't know you."

"Oh, and I assume you do?" Mello chided sarcastically.

Matt shrugged and casually eyed the gun in Mello's position. His hand moved over Mello's and Matt retrieved the weapon, weighing it in his hand. He would never understand Mello's attraction to these stupid things. Matt personally didn't care for them and they even made him a bit nervous.

"Why did you come?" Matt looked down to see Mello staring up at him intently, his eyes glassy from the alcohol.

He shrugged again, which annoyed Mello. Matt was never the type to put his impulsive actions into words. "It's not the same around Wammy's without you there. I don't really have anyone to talk too."

Mello scoffed. "You sound like such a girl when you talk like that. How often did we sit around painting our fingernails and talking about our crushes when I was home?" They both burst into laughter at this scenario. Truth be told, they did spend a lot of time together, but neither of them were big on talking. "But, seriously," Mello continued, "I'm here for you if you do need someone to talk to. We're best friends."

Matt bit his bottom lip. What the fuck was he doing? When he left Wammy's, he had it all planned out. Exactly what he was going to say and do, but now he had lost all his nerve. He sighed and Mello could visibly see the conflict on his face.

"Hey," he said as he elbowed the ginger playfully. "What's the matter?"

There was no way around it. Matt knew he had to just get it over with. Like ripping off a bandage. "There's someone." He blurted.

It took Mello a moment to figure out what his friend meant. "Someone?" Then it donned on him. "Shit, Matt, you mean you do have a crush on someone?" He couldn't help but laugh at the slight blush and grin that formed on his face. "Who is it? Someone from Wammy's?"

"Yes," Matt answered truthfully. He wouldn't meet Mello's eyes directly. He didn't think he was strong enough to stand it. "I don't know what to do."

Mello shrugged. "So, just go for it. What do you really have to lose? You've played enough video games. You should know how to sweep a girl off her feet."

Matt had to laugh at that analogy. "So you're saying I have to go find a bunch of random caves, fight whatever might be inside, and hope that the evil boss that took the object of my affection away will be waiting inside?"

Mello laughed fully for the first time since he had left Wammy's. He knew the alcohol played a significant part in his giddiness. "You could start with just showing this 'object of your affection' how you feel."

Something in Matt's expression changed. He wasn't smiling and his eyes had gone soft. He stared at Mello in earnest for a moment then his lips were suddenly on Mello's. Mello was in complete shock, but he didn't move to stop the attack. Was it the alcohol that was slowing his reaction? He reached up and placed both hands on Matt's strong chest, pushing with a significantly small amount of force, but it was enough for Matt to break the growing kiss.

He searched Mello's eyes carefully, trying to find out what he did wrong. His heart was pounding like crazy and he knew there was obvious worries in his eyes. "Shit," he cursed himself. "I've fucked this up." He let out a hefty sigh. "Mello…" he stammered. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" He pushed himself off the bed to leave.

Mello blinked. What was happening? Things had absolutely spiraled out of control in just a matter of moments. He had to fix this. He grabbed the tail of Matt's stripped sweater to stop his escape. "Where do you think you're going?" He yanked the boy back, causing him to fall back on his butt on the bed.

Matt refused to look at Mello, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. His face was red hot and his breathing was sporadic. "I'm sorry."

Mello knew he didn't have the right words to say. He was completely taken aback by Matt's actions, but he wasn't horrified. In fact, something in him wished he could have had that moment back. He blinked again as his mind raced a million miles per hour. Maybe thinking wasn't the right way to go about this. Mello fisted a handful of Matt's collar and yanked the boy down for another kiss, knowing that this meant everything between then was about to change.

At that moment, he didn't care. Matt's full lips felt soft and tender against his. Unlike Mello, it didn't take Matt nearly as long to process what was happening and they were soon moving their lips in tandem. His eyes slid closed and he allowed Matt to kiss him in earnest. Mello could faintly taste the cigarette on Matt's tongue as it slid across his bottom lip. Mello tangled the fingers of his left hand into Matt's red hair and pulled hard until the boy groaned. Just as he suspected, Matt liked to be played with roughly. That wasn't surprising. The boys often wrestled with each other and knew they both had a healthy appetite for a little pain.

The kiss became more urgent by the second and Mello didn't know where or if it would stop. Matt had lowered himself until he was kneeling over Mello as his lips crushed against those of his best friend. Both of them were taking deep gasps in the few seconds their lips separated. Matt's hand was suddenly on Mello's crotch, rubbing him harshly as his mouth started to lick and suck on his jaw and neck. Mello wasn't even aware of his own arousal until that moment. His pulse quickened at the intimate contact.

"Ungh… Matt…" Mello sighed and lifted his hips, pressing his hardening erection into Matt's relentless palm. What the fuck was happening? Mello couldn't remember. One minute the two boys were talking and now they were making out like seasoned lovers. Matt's hand grabbed Mello's erection and squeezed mercilessly as his teeth sunk into the tender flesh of Mello's neck. "Oh fuck!" Mello called out. He wasn't in control of his body anymore, and he didn't give a damn. They way that Matt was teasing him put him on edge. He suddenly had the mental image of Matt forcing him down and ravishing him like a wild man.

Matt's fingers came up and unclasped the buttons of Mello's leather vest, sliding it over the boy's shoulders as he kissed and nipped at his collarbone. Mello began to moan and tangled both hands into Matt's hair as his swollen lips clasped around Mello's hard, sensitive nipple. He arched his back as Matt sucked and nibbled at the hard little nub. Matt suddenly rose up to his knees and chuckled as he looked down at the hot and bothered teen below him. He had been dreaming about how Mello would look in this situation, and this was better than his wildest fantasies. "My god," he growled, his voice deep and husky. "You look good enough to eat." His mouth pulled into a vicious grin.

Mello raised up to a sitting position and yanked Matt down for a harsh kiss. He captured his bottom lip in his mouth and bit at it until Matt was growling in pleasure. Mello grabbed the bottom of the boy's shirt and helped him pull it over his head. God his body was beautiful. He needed to touch him. Before Mello had a chance to lay one fingertip on Matt's torso, the boy wrapped his arm around Mello and pulled him in for another mouthwatering kiss. The sensation that ran through Mello's body when their bare skin touched was enough to make him shudder in pleasure. The two fell backward on the bed with Mello successfully trapped under Matt. Taking the opportunity, Matt pressed his crotch to Mello's and began to rock his hips. The sensation of their cloth covered erections rubbing together was enough to elicit a deep moan from both boys.

"Ungh… God… Mihael…" The sound of Mello's name coming from Matt's lips was beautiful. No one had ever said it with so much raw passion and need. The boys were only dry humping one another, but the sheer lust between them was thick and powerful. Matt pressed down harder and ground himself into Mello. "Fuck!" He growled. "I can't take much more… Oh god… Oh fuck!" His finger's tangled into Mello's golden hair and pulled until it hurt, adding to Mello's pleasure.

Mello was panting and gasping for breath between kisses. His whole body was alive. He felt a tightening in his lower abdomen and he clutched Matt for dear life. He felt his mind slowly slipping away and he lost all control of himself. He was steadily crying out and thrashing his hips against Matt with a force that was sure to leave him bruised. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he let out a loud, guttural cry as an orgasm washed over him. His whole body felt weak and he was unable to move or catch his breath. All he wanted to do was sleep. He felt Matt's lips on his face and neck and heard him whisper something indiscernible as he fell into the sweetest sleep he ever had.


	4. In the Cover of Darkness

**Author's Note:** _Chapter 4 is probably one of my favorites! Seriously, we are getting hot and heavy with the pairings here! I hope you all enjoy :)_

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**~/~**

L stood under the shower head and allowed the hot water the trickle down his body. His black eyes were watching his toes as they popped the soap bubbles that were sliding across the tile floor of the shower. It was well past midnight and he had decided to retire to his room for the day. His back and neck were aching from sitting at his desk for hours on end and his head was mildly throbbing from the drama of the earlier day. Mello hadn't come out of his room, and, according to Watari, he refused to eat anything. L sighed. He was going to have to get a handle on Mello if his training was going to continue. L's mind wandered over the "conversation" (if that's what it could truly be called) he and Mello had earlier. Mello had accused L of showing favoritism towards Near. Was that true? L, of course, didn't think so, but there had to be a reason Mello thought that up. He remembered the night before when the little angel had some to his room for shelter and he felt heat rising in his cheeks. Maybe Mello had seen Near go to L's room in the night. "What did he put out that I didn't?" Those were Mello's exact words. What did he mean by that? Near and Mello were both expected to put in the same amount of work in order to prove themselves. Was there an underlying meaning for those words?

L shook his head and shut off the shower head, steam billowing around him like clouds. He needed to get his mind off of this silly, childish drama. Both Near and Mello needed to grow up. Near needed to learn to control his fears, Mello needed to learn to control his temper, and L was the man to teach them how to do that. He climbed out of the shower and buried his face in a warm, soft towel, sighing as the gentle fibers caressed his skin. It felt wonderful. He slowly slid the towel down his neck and chest, biting back a moan that was bubbling at the surface. He felt his stomach tighten and there was a twitch in his manhood. There was no denying the arousal that was creeping up in his system. He let his towel clad hand slide down his abdomen and come to rest at his now desperate erection. He sucked in a harsh breath as his fingers wrapped around himself and his member was encased in the soft material. As if they had a mind of their own, his hips began to slowly thrush into his tightly squeezing hand, setting their own rhythm that elicited a deep groan from his chest. Using his left hand to brace himself against the bathroom door, he began to jerk himself off fiercely. His breath was coming in quick gasps and there were stars forming in his vision. His imagination was conjuring visions of soft, silky skin rubbing against all of his erogenous areas. It wasn't long before the tension was rising in his abdomen and he could feel that sweet tightening deep within him. A harsh yelp escaped his lips as he spilled his excitement into the towel, a shudder rushing up his spine as the delicious release washed over his body.

Still panting and trying to stop the shaking in his hands, L discarded the towel in the clothes hamper before pulling on a pair of lose sweat pants. He wasn't fond of wearing sweat pants, but he also felt like he needed to let himself relax and be comfortable in order to better focus on his work. He ran his fingers through his dripping locks, not caring where they fell. Maybe now his head was clear enough for him to concentrate on something of importance. He left the bathroom, ready to start really working on the cases he was given, but those good intentions were foiled when he came face to face with a small pair of grey eyes staring up at him from the other side of his bedroom.

L raised an eyebrow at the little boy twisting a lock of hair around his small finger. "Near-kun?"

A light blush broke out on the boy's face and he held the thick binder closer to his chest. "I'm sorry to intrude. Your door was unlocked so I assumed you were available." He was speaking quickly, examining the carpet beneath his feet. "I was working on the burglary case I was assigned and I came across a note mentioning an online data base. It's a federal data base and cannot seem to override the security. Would you happen to have the codes that would allow me access?"

L grinned at the boy. He knew Near had to be exhausted, but he was a relentless worker. That was a good sign. L led Near to the small desk in his room and he wiggled the mouse of the desk top as Near sank into the soft desk chair. L was standing over the boy, his head just inches from his bare chest, so close, Near's hair was lightly brushing against the damp skin there. L tried to ignore this, but his body seemed to be hypersensitive. He was forced to squeeze his eyes shut and take in a deep breath to refocus his energy. Reaching over the boy, L called up the data base and, with a few very rapid keystrokes from his lithe fingers, a green ACCESS GRANTED sign flashed and the screen was flooded with hundreds on folders marked as confidential.

Near's shoulders slumped as he took in the screen. He glanced up at the young man above him. "And you found an important clue in one of these folders?"

An amused smile played with the edges of L's mouth as his eyes skimmed the rows of folders before him. "No," he said very matter-of-factly. "I found important clues in all of these folders." This caused Near's shoulders to sink even lower. This was going to take an eternity, but it had to be done. Bravely, Near took hold of the mouse and began fishing through the folders that littered the screen, pushing out the rest of the world and concentrating on the task at hand. L marveled at the boy's tenacity before going to sit on the bed to give Near the space he needed and took the opportunity to turn back to his own work.

Two hours passed by in complete silence save the soft turning of pages and clicking of the mouse coming from the desk. The atmosphere was almost soothing to L and he found himself able to slip into his role as the Century's Greatest Detective, completely forgetting that he was not alone in his bedroom. That is, until the room got pen drop quiet. L's eyes shot up to the desk and he saw Near's head resting on the binder in front of him, his frame gently rising and falling. He had worked himself into a fatigue so heavy he had fallen asleep during his task. L considered calling Watari to take the boy back to his bedroom, but the more he looked at the sleeping teen, the less he considered the option. L slid softly from his bed and crossed the room on silent feet. When he reached the boy, he wrapped one arm around his delicate shoulders and the other hooked under his knees, scooped him up bridal style, and brought him close to the detective's bare chest. He crossed the room again and gently laid the sleeping boy on the bed, pulling the duvet up to cover him. The boy unconsciously snuggled into the warm softness that was now surrounding him. L had to bite back a wide, stupid grin that wanted to break free. He could feel a soft warmth in his chest that formed when he looked at the boy that frightened him a bit. He wasn't supposed to be building any sort of attachment with his successors. That would do nothing but cause needless pain. Determined to ignore the boy again, L climbed into his side of the bed and continued with his work.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before L noticed Near moving around in his little cocoon, reaching for a snuggling companion that wasn't there. His little hand reached across the sheets and until it rested on L's leg. Just like before, Near wiggled his way across the mattress until his face was buried in the side of L's pants leg. He cursed himself under his breath. He would never be able to concentrate with Near this close. Giving up, L closed his laptop and made himself comfortable, very aware of Near, whose head was now resting on his chest. The boy was breathing gently as his fingers twirled in his soft white hair. L soon found himself staring at the boy, breathing shallowly as a rising warmth grew in his abdomen and spread across his chest. Near looked so soft and gentle… L's eyes widened in horror as he felt that familiar tightness in his groin. No, no, no. Not now! He couldn't allow himself to get aroused now. He took a deep breath, but that only pushed his aching erection more firmly against the material of his pants. He cursed himself harshly for having so little self-control. Maybe if he was quiet he could… No! The slightest movement could cause Near to wake, then he would be in trouble. His right hand twitched a bit and he balled it into a tight fist. As hard as he was trying, he simply couldn't get control of his body. Finally, he gave up with a huff and slowly slid his hand under the waistband of his boxers. He held his breath to stifle the moan that was rising up as his fingers brushed against his hardening erection. Carefully, he lifted his hips and shimmied his pants and boxers down his narrow hips, displaying his proud erection to the cool air in the room. Still holding his breath, he palmed his cock and began to stoke slowly and firmly.

**~/~**

Near could hear gentle whimpers and feel a shudder that wracked L's chest. He had been awake for several seconds now, opening his eyes just enough to see what was happening before him. He found himself biting down hard on his lip to stop a gasp from escaping there and ruining his ruse. L's member was before him, hard and thick. L's hips were bucking erratically and gentle purrs were bubbling from his throat. Near found himself intrigued by the act being carried out before him. A tightness that he didn't understand was forming in the pit of his stomach and he found himself biting back not a gasp but a moan. He was transfixed by L's hard member and wanted nothing more than to touch it. After a long eternal battle, Near's curiosity got the better of him. Slowly, he reached out and wrapped his own hand over L's overheated member. He was amazed at how soft the skin was over the taut muscles and it throbbed hard when Near touched it. L was lost in a hazy fog of lust that wouldn't let him go. He thought he was dreaming when he felt the hand wrap around him, but he dared not speak or the illusion would be shattered. Slowly and with much concentration, Near pumped his hand up and down slowly, pleasuring L in ways he didn't understand. L's left hand, which was resting on his chest, began to stroke through Near's soft tresses. Near took this as a sign of praise and pumped faster as he squeezed slightly, causing L to growl. His hand left the boys hair and reached around to grab the semi-hard member that was waiting just under Near's boxers. Near gasped at the unexpected contact; he had never touched himself in this way much less have someone else do it for him. His brain was getting cloudy as L continued to manipulate his member much like Near was doing his. Before long, both boys were openly moaning and grinding against the others hand. The rising pleasure had both of their faces flushed. Near had his forehead pressed hard against L's chest and L was pressing his head hard into the soft pillows. Both of them were harshly gasping for breath and simultaneously stroking each other harder and faster with every passing second. Near was the first to release. He cried out desperately as his first orgasm wracked his body and left him exhausted and useless. L's hand went back to his own member and quickly brought himself to a swift release. His high immediately left him and he took in his current situation with guilty eyes. He was left with two cum covered hands and a snoozing boy on his chest. What the fuck did he just get himself into?

**~/~**

Mello was running his fingers through Matt's hair as they lay on the bed silently. They had both cleaned themselves up after their earlier activities, both changing into a pair of Mello's lounge pants, and were contented with just being close. Mello never dreamed he would be in this situation with Matt, but he couldn't say that he was displeased with it. Matt's fingers were slowly stoking Mello's side and every once in a while Matt would tenderly kiss his chest, causing a stupid smile to spread across Mello's face. Matt lifted his head and smiled at Mello before planting a soft, simple kiss on his lips.

"I'm gonna go out on the fire escape for a smoke." He pushed himself up off the bed. "Come with me?"

Mello nodded and followed the boy out into the warm night. He accepted a cigarette from Matt and took a long draw off of it, allowing himself to slip farther into an inner peace he hadn't felt in a long time. Mello himself wasn't a smoker, but he was known to make exceptions on special occassions, and if this weren't special be had no idea what was. Both boys were quietly listening to the sound of some nearby city when Mello heard something that wasn't normal. He listened closer and realized it was coming from L's room. He crept closer and peeked in, a harsh "Holy shit!" escaping his lips the moment his eyes focused to his surroundings. Matt moved in behind him and his eyes grew wide as he peered inside. Before them, Near was curled up to L's side stroking his erection as L himself writhed and moaned beneath him.

Mello's first reaction was anger. So this is what was going on! Near was getting L off at night and L was showing him favoritism. It all made sense. He wanted to burst through the window and inform them that their little game had been found out, but he couldn't make himself move. Suddenly, Matt's arms wrapped around Mello's waist and his chin came to rest on his shoulder as his teeth nibbled at Mello's ear. "Look at that," he whispered to Mello in a husky voice. "It seems we weren't the only ones having fun." Matt chuckled as a shudder raced up Mello's back and goose bumps spread across his skin. Matt placed soft kisses on the hollow under Mello's ear as one hand lowered to palm his crotch that was beginning to stir back to life.

"That gets you off, doesn't it?" Matt squeezed Mello's erection firmly, enjoying the hiss that escaped his best friend's lips. "You like seeing Nate do that to L. You've thought about it before." These weren't questions, they were accusations. And Mello couldn't deny any of them. He cursed himself. How the hell did Matt know so much?

They watched silently for a moment and both of them began to breathe shallowly. Mello was relieved that Matt seemed to enjoy this view as much as himself. Now, L and Near were both stroking each other and their mutual moans could be heard through the thin glass. Mello gasped and moaned when he left Matt's lithe tongue trace over the outside of his ear before nibbling at the lobe. He pressed his hips firmly against Mello and he felt the growing need against his buttocks. "I want you to take me. Right here. Right now." Matt's voice was soft and full of heart wrenching lust.

Mello didn't need to be told twice. He roughly shoved Matt against the nearby brick wall between his and L's window and yanked down the loose cotton pants, exposing his soft, smooth ass to anyone who took the time to look up. Being outside in the open thrilled Mello more than he imagined. He lowered his own pants to find him member dripping clear pre-cum down his flushed shaft. He took a moment to liberally spread the copious liquid over his member to adequately lubricate it. He grabbed Matt's smooth hips and plunged into him in one hard movement that caused Matt to scream out into the night. That was sure to cause some attention, but Mello didn't give a fuck. He was with Matt, and that was all that mattered. To hell with the rest of the world. And god Matt felt so damn amazing. He was tight and hot, squeezing Mello in all the right places. He tangled his fingers in Matt's hair and pulled him back roughly, closing the gap between Matt's back and Mello's chest. Their lips met in a mad frenzy of teeth and tongue, torturing each other and only stopping long enough to pull in a ragged breath. Mello was sure this was Matt's first time, but he was taking it like a champ. His whimpers and moans seemed to be ones of pleasure, not pain. Mello reached down and began to jerk Matt off in the same fast and desperate rhythm he was thrusting within him. Mello couldn't hold out very long at all with so much new stimulation. His whole body was on fire and desperate for relief. He left like he was going to explode any moment if he didn't do something. And all he could do was continue his relentless attack on his friend and lover. His fingernails dug into the supple skin of Matt's chest, leaving bright red trails as a final, far too loud cry burst from Mello's mouth as he emptied his sweet hot excitement into Matt.

Both were breathing hard as they sank to the metal mesh floor of the fire escape. Matt pressed his hands to the wall before him and tried to concentrate on slowing his heartbeat. Mello resting his forehead on Matt's shoulder, licking and kissing the skin there that was shining with salty sweat. They stayed like that for longer than either could guess, occasionally kissing or caressing each other, existing only in their little bubble.

Matt was the first to speak. "You know, Mel. You may end up liking it here more than you though." Matt grinned that devilish smile that made Mello's heart flutter whenever he saw it.

Mello laughed through the haze of fatigue that was settling over him. "Shut the fuck up," he said as he sank his teeth into Matt's shoulder, effectively marking what was his. And in that moment, Mello would have gladly given the world to have that moment forever, in the arms of a boy he didn't even know he loved until a few hours ago.


	5. Morning Realization

**Author's Note:** _Back again with the 5th installment! This chapter is going to deal with the dreaded "morning after." I have to give a special shout out to a friend i made through aliased as __**UsernameUnderConstruction.**__ We had a couple of longs talks that helped me get through writing not only this chapter, but this entire story after some amazing reviews were left for me. I hope you are all enjoying the work of the Smut Angel! _

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**~/~**

Mello woke as the morning sunlight warmed his bare torso. He opened his eyes, but immediately closed them as the light stung them. His head was throbbing and he left like shit, but that was what happened when he drank Grey Goose. Last night's events played through his mind, but at the same quality as a fuzzy TV set with a bad connection. Matt had come to see him and... He gasped. Matt! His eyes shot open and he saw his bare chest had been painted by a mess of bright red hair. His heart began to pound and his throat closed on him. They had slept together- No they had fucked on the fire escape after watching Near and L jerk each other off. What the fuck? How had this shit happened?

His mind immediately left him when he felt Matt shift in his sleep and the red head nuzzled his face into Mello's hair, breathing deeply. Without thinking, Mello wrapped his arm around Matt's waist, pulling him closer to his body. Matt took a deep breath, pressing his lips against Mello's neck. "Good morning, Mihael." Matt whispered softly.

Mello's body trembled at the contact and hearing his true name spoken by the groggy red head. He smiled and blushed slightly despite himself. Fuck. Why did Matt always make Mello feel so damn giddy?! "Morning, Mail."

Matt groaned, biting at Mello's earlobe. The combination of the deep, throaty growl and Matt teasing a particularly sensitive area of Mello's body made Mello's stomach flop uncontrollably. Matt shifted again in bed before sitting up and stretching with unneeded exaggeration. Mello grinned, his eyes studying his best friend's –or were they lovers now- naked body from the waist up. This was the first time he had seen it properly. Matt was lean, but his chest, abs, and arms were very toned. His slightly tan skin was smooth as silk and completely flawless. Mello watched with lust as his muscles moved under that supple flesh and Matt ran a hand through his tousled hair. When he was finished showing off his body to his best friend and lover, he grinned cheekily and leaned down to place open mouthed kisses on Mello's chest.

Mello let out a sigh. "You keep that up and you're gonna be in some trouble." He ran his fingers through the red mess of hair as Matt continued to kiss and lick his chest. "Matt..." Mello whispered, his voice tense.

Matt laughed, dipping his head lower as his tongue played across Mello's abs, contantly getting lower and lower until he was kissing the tender flesh below the blonde's navel. His erection was already throbbing just inches below and Mello couldn't help but cry out when Matt's warm hand wrapped around him and pumped slowly. Christ, Matt couldn't get enough of this cumbersome member. His head suddenly dropped down and he encased Mello's cock in his hot mouth. That was enough for Mello to see stars. He had never received oral sex before, and, until very recently, wasn't at all interested in sex, but the way the red head's tongue swirled around his leaking head was enough to make him cum over and over and over again. "Fuck! Matt! I'm gonna…" Matt's grip on Mello's member immediately tightened and he pumped him faster as the blonde wailed and writhed beneath him. True to his word, it wasn't long before Mello exploded and Matt took every single ounce like a professional as his blonde god cursed and panted above him.

When he was finished, Matt raised up, leaning into Mello to kiss his lips slowly as the blonde caught his breath. The kiss was soft and gentle, but quickly built up into a passionate make out session. Matt and Mello's tongues were fighting a fierce battle for dominance, both boy's moaning into each other's mouths. When breathing became an absolute necessity, both of them pulled away, panting harshly, their hands never stopping in their exploration of one another.

Mello wanted nothing more than to forcefully take Mello right then and there, but there was an annoying gnawing in the pit of his stomach that just couldn't be ignored. "Matt..." He said as he gently traced a pattern on the boy's arms as his eyes studied something of no particular interest on the sheets between them.

Matt, however, was having none of this talk. He was absolutely over the moon. He had finally slept with Mello! Truth be told, Matt had fallen desperately in love with the blonde from the moment he met him all those years ago. He had always known that Mihael Keehl would never consider being with another male, so the red head had to live with the torture of just being best friends with the love of his life. But now none of that mattered. Mello had bedded Matt and they would be together forever. The red head busied his lips with the expanse of Mello's neck, grinning when he heard the wanton sigh escape his lover's lips. He was going to win this fight if it killed them both.

Mello's head was spinning with lust, but he forced himself to keep his senses. He had shit to figure out before this thing got out of hand again. "Mail Jeevas, stop that and listen to me!"

The growl in Mello's voice was enough to make Matt freeze in his tracks like a deer in headlights. He knew Mello well enough to know not to fuck with him when he was in a serious mood. Matt let out a pathetic little sigh and poked out his bottom lip.

Mello shook his head. Damn it, Matt could be such a baby! "Don't give me that look!" He shouted a little too loudly, momentarily forgetting where he was. If he was too loud, he would attracted unwanted attention and this whole situation would inflate into a giant headache that Mello just wasn't up for. "Matt, how can you be so fucking calm? We just-" His voice faltered a bit, unsure if he could say the words out loud. "Last night we…" Nope. It didn't look like he had the balls to say it.

"Had sex," Matt finished for him, his brilliant green eyes depicting a sadness that simply broke Mello's heart. "We had sex, Mello, and it was fucking amazing. Do you know how long I've wanted that? Since the day I met you."

"So you became friends with me to get into my pants?" Mello threw back the blankets and got out of bed, not caring that he was stark naked. An anger was swelling inside of him that he couldn't control. "All this time, all you wanted from me was a good fucking?" He couldn't believe it. The only person he had ever allowed himself to trust just wanted him for his dick. "That's really disgusting, Matt. I trusted you! But whatever. You got what you wanted, so leave." He turned his back on the red head, snatching up his discarded boxers and pulling them on in one swift movement.

Now it was Matt's turn to get angry. With a little bit of trouble, Matt detangled himself from the sheets and paced across the room to grab Mello harshly by the arm. "What the fuck are you talking about? Huh?" When the blonde didn't turn to look at him, Matt forced him up against the nearest wall, pinning him there by his shoulders. "You think all I wanted was sex? Are you that stupid? Do you actually think if I just wanted to get fucked I would have wasted my time on you? There are a million other places I could go just for sex!"

Mello winced slightly at Matt's harsh words. Normally, Mello didn't give two shits what people thought, but Matt was different. Matt was everything. If anyone could hurt Mello, it was Matt, and he knew just how the red head would do it. He knew more about Mello than the blonde knew about himself.

Matt's eyes were boring holes into Mello's clear blue orbs with a fierceness that was uncharacteristic of the eccentric computer loving boy. "I didn't come here last night to get fucked, I came because I missed you and I was damn worried!" His eyes seemed to soften a bit. "I fucking love you, you idiotic asshole!" His eyes were shining on the verge of tears that he just wasn't going to let out. "I've loved you since the fucking day we met!"

Mello was speechless for the first time in his life. "You…" His throat was dry and coarse. "Damn it, Matt!" He hit the boy on the arm. "Why haven't you told me this before now? If you've loved me for fucking years, why am I just now hearing about it?"

Matt blinked, thinking hard. "I- I don't know. I just…" His mouth was suddenly occupied by a pair of ferocious lips that took over his with a dominance that was all Mello. The kiss was hard and needy, a tongue plunging into his mouth and teeth assaulting his bottom lip. It was all Matt could do to hold on tight to the blonde that was having his way with him and at least try to match the fervor of the kiss.

When he finally did pull away, Mello took Matt's face in his hands. "I love you too, you fucking moron."

**~/~**

L stared at himself in the mirror, hating the very sight. From the corner of his eye, he saw the little bundle in his bed move around and he heard the soft sigh of the sleeping Near. Instead of finding this sight endearing, L found it hard to stomach. He simply couldn't believe what he had gotten himself into. He was L, for crying out loud! He was The Century's Greatest Detective, and a man did not gain that title by letting himself… molest children!

"Calm down, Lawliet," L said to himself as he nibbled on his thumb. "You are over exaggerating." Near wasn't a child, he was old enough to make decisions on his own, and there was no doubt he was capable of rational thought. L hadn't forced Near to do anything, so there was nothing for which he could be at fault. Sure, he should have made better judgment and stopped things before they got too far, but there was nothing that could be done about the past, so there was no need to dwell too heavily upon it.

He had to take this one step at a time. Last night was a pure disaster on multiple accounts and he only had a short window of time to get a handle on it before the whole thing turned into a melodramatic mess.. L took a moment to look back at the sleeping cherub all wrapped up in his bed before exiting the room quickly. It would be best to let sleeping dogs lie, so to speak, and take care of the more undesirable part of his predicament. The hour was still early, the sun just rising through the windows of the hotel suite, and L knew he still had a couple of hours before Watari came to prepare breakfast for the tenants. L kept his eyes focused on his target as he crossed the room and knocked twice on the door that belonged to Mello. From inside, he heard brief curses and the sound of shuffling. "Mello," L said dryly. "I need to speak with you for a moment."

There was several more seconds of shuffling and some shushing from behind the door before it opened just enough for Mello's slim figure to slip out of the door. His yellow hair was discheveld and he had a particularly nasty look on his face. "What do you want? Do you know what time it is?" He glared at his predecessor icily.

L placed his thumb in his mouth before speaking. "Of course I do. It is precisely 6:17am. And I believe I already voiced my wish to speak with you."

Mello rolled his eyes dramatically. "Smart ass," he murmured under his breath before replying, "Well, here I am. What do you want?"

"I just wanted to make sure you are aware that Roger will not have his boys sleeping together. He will make sure you and Mail Jeevas never see each other again. That is not a place to make emotional attachments." L almost laughed at the way Mello's face fell then twisted with anger. "Remember that little fact if you ever get the urge to divulge secrets you learn while sneaking around a fire escape at night and peeping into other people's windows. And next time, don't use my computers to contact your boyfriend. I keep them all monitored."

Mello was speechless, but not all that surprised. He had known that L didn't get his title just any old way, so he should have guess L would be on to his and Matt's little rendezvous. Then, a thought struck him and his mouth pulled back into a malicious smile. "Oh, L. Do you really think I am scared of Roger? If he tries to separate us, we will leave. If he gives us any trouble, I'll… take care of it." He gave L the most intimidating glare he could muster, and he knew the detective could tell he wasn't bluffing.

"What will it take to keep your mouth shut?"

Mello pretended to think it over, but in truth he knew exactly what he wanted. "Move Matt in. I want him here with me, and I don't want you or anyone else giving me any shit about it. We do what we want, when we want."

L thought about it for a moment. Having something here that Mello truly wanted would be a valuable asset to help keep the teen in line, and maybe the sexual satisfaction would tame some of that reckless abandon in the boy. L suddenly reached behind Mello and pushed open the door, whacking a certain red head who was listening on the other side straight in the nose. Said red head cursed, rubbing his nose and stepping out from behind the door. He looked to L sheepishly before stepping closer to Mello, standing partly behind him. He had never met the man he was third in line to succeeding, and honestly he never wanted to. He knew that L would never mean more than a goal to him. The way things were, Matt knew he would never be at the top. Near would replace this man, and Mello would take Near's place should something happen, but Matt would never take Mello's. He knew that was never an option for him, because he simply couldn't live in a world without his blonde bombshell.

"Your things will be fetched from Wammy's," L spoke directly to the red head who refused to make eye contact with him. "You will live here. You can participate in the training if you like. I can set you up your own-"

"Matt and I work as a team," Mello stepped in front of his boyfriend –wow, it felt really weird thinking of Matt that way- in a defensive manner. "We will work on cases together."

L nodded, expecting as much. "All I ask is you two act in discretion. Take into account that there are other people here."

Mello smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Then you may want to sound proof our bedroom." Was his final remark before he grabbed Matt's wrist and hauled him back into their room, slamming the door in L's face.

L shook his head, walking slowly back to his room, but was intersected by the little white haired detective-to-be who was trying to make his great escape. He was so caught up in his mental anguish that he nearly ran into L's abdomen. As soon as he saw the man, Near's face broke out in a bright blush and he yanked harder on the piece of hair that was wrapped around his index finger.

"You were going somewhere, Near-kun." This wasn't a question, there was no reason for it to be.

"Yes," he said simply. "To my room to shower." No emotion played on his stoic face, so there was nothing for L to read.

"There is a perfectly good shower in my en-suite."

Near nodded, studying the floor. "As in mine," was his reply as he pushed past the detective and disappeared into his room.


	6. All Play, No Work

**Author's Note:** _THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**~/~**

"Mello, I brought you here to prepare you for the future. I'm asking for a few hours. I moved Matt into your bedroom despite my better judgment, so the least you can do is actually work on the cases." L was perched in his chair casually as he talked to Mello's back. The last of Matt's things had just been put away in his and Mello's bedroom and they were both hoping to get some proper alone time, but L simply wouldn't stop crawling up Mello's ass about his stupid cases.

Near sat quietly at his desk with his head bowed and his knees pulled up to his chest pretending to read through his notes while he assessed the situation. So much had changed in less than twenty-four hours, so much more than Near would have thought possible. When he went escaped to his room, things hadn't changed all that much. When he came back, that boy from Wammy's – Mail Jeevas - had been moved into the suite, and he and Mello were attached at the hip. Did that mean they were- that Mello was? That seemed highly out of character for the blonde, but humans were always changing. Near had no room to judge.

"Mel'," Matt said gently as he leaned against the nearest wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "Maybe you should just do what the guy says." That earned him a vicious look that would scare anyone else shitless. Matt simply chuckled and pushed himself off the wall, leaning in to whisper in his lover's ear. "It's only a couple of hours. I'll make it up to you tonight, I promise."

A shiver ran down Mello's spine and he bit at his bottom lip just thinking about the possibilities, his mouth pulling back in a wanton grin. "Fine," Mello said as he roughly sat down at his desk with Matt following close behind like a little lost puppy.

L grinned a bit around his thumb. Maybe having Matt here would be helpful after all.

**~/~**

Two hours ticked by so slowly, and Matt was counting each second. Jesus Christ, he was sooo fucking bored! Beside him, Mello was ruffling through a bunch of papers and occasionally clicking through random files on his computer. Around the room Near and L were doing the exact same thing. The room was quiet except for the turning of pages and the clicking of keys. No one but Watari ever came through that door to deliver chocolate, sweets, and puzzles for the boys. Matt sighed dramatically, lying his head down on the desk and pouting at Mello, who glanced up for just a fraction of a second. "Mel'," the boy mouthed and was surprised to see he had actually caught the boy's attention. "I'm bored. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

The edges of Mello's mouth pulled up and he rolled his eyes. "All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy." He shoved his laptop over to the boy. "Entertain yourself. Just a couple more hours."

Matt pushed away the silver computer. The stupid thing didn't interest him in the slightest. He leaned over and placed his hand on Mello's knee, squeezing lightly. "I would gladly be your toy," he whispered seductively as he moved his hand up the blonde's thigh toward the object of his greed.

Mello roughly grabbed Matt's wrist and put his hand down on the desk. "Easy, Tiger," he said gently but firmly. "I have shit to do." Honestly, how was anyone supposed to concentrate with Matt's relentlessness?

Matt made a dramatic show out of sighing and rolling his eyes before plopping his head back down on the desk. His green orbs searched around the room for anything that could be of interest. That was when he noticed a pair of big grey eyes staring back at him. Matt's entire face broke out into an amused grin as Near looked away quickly, his face painted the lightest shade of pink. "Jackpot," Matt mumbled as he sat up and leaned back in his chair, never taking his eyes off of the little detective. Slowly, he leaned over and brushed away Mello's golden hair, exposing his neck. Making sure Near was still watching, Matt leaned forward and began to plant little butterfly kisses in the expanse of his lover's neck. His lips curled into a malicious grin and he winked at his younger companion.

From across the room, L Lawliet watched the whole scene unfold like someone studying a specimen under a microscope. All his life L had been a loner, never having any family other than Watari. Being the noted detective that he was, L could read criminals like an open book; but teenagers were something that was completely foreign to him, especially blatantly sexual teenagers like Matt and Mello. The younger red head would kiss and touch Mello whenever he wanted without caring who was around to see, and Mello wasn't in the least bit embarrassed to public displays of affection. He watched closely as Near studied the pair as Matt licked and sucked on Mello's neck and the older one bit at his bottom lip as he tried to ignore his counterpart. Near's eyes were wide and his chest rose and fell to show his elevated breathing. Obviously, he was becoming excited by the whole ordeal. L shook his head. One could practically smell the sex in the air and there were simply three too many hormonal teenagers in the immediate vicinity. L knew enough about basic biology and psychology to know that teenagers were ruled by their hormones, turning them towards their more primal instincts and forgeting that they actually possessed a brain capable of logical thought. The head detective cleared his throat loudly and three pairs of eyes looked over to him. "I think that is enough for one afternoon." He stood up, nibbling at his thumb. "Tomorrow morning Mello and I are taking a trip, so don't stay up too late."

Mello immediately stood up, glaring at L. "Going where? I don't want to-"

"Mihael," L said in his usual monotone voice. "In life, we do not always-"

"Yeah, yeah," Mello interrupted with a growl. "We don't always get what we want. Where the fuck are you taking me?"

L cocked an eyebrow, still calm as ever. "I am taking you to a crime scene. It seems to me that you have better potential doing field work. Watari brought me a new case file this afternoon and I am going to the scene of the crime in the morning to look for evidence. You and you alone will accompany me. It will do you good to get out of this room. Near and Matt will stay here. Near, perhaps Matt could assist you in the case you are currently working on. Mello, I expect to see you out of your room and ready to go at eight in the morning." He began to walk away as he added: "Please do not make me come into your room to fetch you." Then he was gone behind his bedroom door.

Mello just stood his ground, cursing and punching his desk. Who the fuck did L think he was?! He couldn't just boss people around like he was the damned king of the castle! Mello felt a tug on his arm before Matt's voice filled his ears. "Come on, Love. Let's go to bed." He pulled a little more before Mello would move from his position.

**~/~**

"I need to shower," Mello said as he roughly pushed away Matt's hand and walked past him into the bedroom. If it had been anyone else, they would have gotten angry or upset at Mello for treating them that way, but Matt wasn't just anyone. He had known Mihael Keehl for the majority of his life and he knew the boy better then he knew the back of his hand. Rule number one about Mello was to never take the things he says personally when he is ticked off. Rule number two was always assume he was ticked off. When the boy didn't get what he wanted, when someone said or did something he didn't like, or even if someone gave him a look he wasn't happy with he would fly off the handle and there was no filtration system between his brain and his mouth.

Matt fell flat on his back upon the bed and fished the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lighting one up and inhaling deeply. From the other room, Matt heard the shower turn on. The sound of it all was… comforting and quite homely. It reminded him of years ago when things were normal and the three of them were just students at Wammy's House. Actually, everything had been perfectly normal until just a few days ago. Fuck, things could change in the blink of an eye.

For the first time, Matt stopped to think about the past few days. He couldn't forget that ache that formed in his chest when Roger told him Mello was gone. He could still feel it now and it caused a lump to form in his throat. Then he remembered the all-out relief he felt upon seeing that email from the blonde and how he had to force himself to stay cool and collected during the Skype call long enough to get the tracking information he needed. And how quickly he left Wammy's, lifted that bottle of vodka, and got his ass to the hotel quicker than the Flash could have done! Then... He and Mello actually had mind blowing sex! Just thinking about it made him hot. The feel of Mello's hands on him, the taste of his lips, the dominant passion in his kisses.

A small groan escaped Matt's throat followed by a gasp in surprise that he actually made that noise and that his pants felt a bit snug. Matt bit this bottom lip and listened closely. There wasn't a peep from outside and the shower was still running. His emerald eyes slipped closed as his hand traveled down his lean body to unbuckle his pants and snake under his boxers. He carefully relived each intimate moment he and Mello had shared over the past 24 hours as his hand wrapped around his member and he began to stroke himself. Little squeaks of pleasure escaped his lips and he lifted his hips off the bed as he remembered how good it felt to have Mello enter him for the first time and-

"Jesus, Matt!" A sarcastic voice came from the bathroom making the younger boy jump. "You couldn't wait until I got back?"

Matt blushed at being caught red handed and quickly removed his hand from his erection that had started to go down until he saw the blonde god clad only in a towel, his skin glistening with water. Matt wanted nothing more than to ravish him right then and there. "My god," he whispered to himself as his eyes wandered slowly over his boyfriend's body. "How the hell did I keep my hands off you this long?"

"Better question is why the hell did you do it?" Mello crossed the room nonchalantly and grabbed a chocolate bar from atop the dresser. "How many times did one of us sneak into the other's bedroom at night and fall asleep in each other's beds?"

Matt shrugged. "We were kids."

Mello scoffed. "And last week when we saw that scary movie and you begged me to stay in your room? Were we kids then?" Mello grinned sinisterly and crawled onto the bed next to Matt. His hand slid under Matt's shirt and rubbed his toned stomach and chest. "Did you want to fuck me then, Matty?" His voice dropped down low seductively. "Did seeing me laying next to you asleep make your dick hard?" He tweaked one of the hard nipples and the red head gasped before nodding in the affirmative. Mello chuckled and slipped his hand under the waistband of Matt's boxers, stroking against his swollen head. He leaned down until his lips were almost touching the younger boy's. "You wanna fuck me, don't you, Mail?" He whispered huskily.

Another moan escaped Matt's lips and he lifted his head enough to kiss Mello deeply and passionately as the blonde wrapped his hand around the other's erection and began to stroke slowly. This was a moment of absolute perfection. The room was still and the only sounds to be heard were the deep breaths and occasional moans from the two boys. Mello's stroking had become faster and harder as he kissed Matt with all the gusto he could manage. The red head finally had to turn his face away in order to catch a breath and his neck and heaving chest were covered with rough kisses.

"Fuck, Mello," was all Matt would say as he gripped onto the blonde's arms and pressed his forehead against Mello's collarbone, nipping playfully at his chest.

Mello grinned playfully. "You are about to, big guy." Mello quickly undressed his boyfriend, his hands smoothing over every inch of bare skin he could as Matt writhed and moaned beneath him. He sat back on the bed, disposing of his towel and leaving them both naked as his eyes wandered slowly over Matt's body. He was fucking perfect, like something out of mythology. Why the hell had it taken Mello this long to realize how much he really wanted his friend? Why had he been so afraid to admit how much he… loved him? That one word was enough to knock the breath out of Mello's chest. Had he really allowed himself to fall in love?

Matt watched Mello's eyes go from filled with lust to full of something that looked like fear, a rarity for the blonde teen. Matt sat up, propping himself on one of his elbows as he stroked Mello's cheek with his free hand. "Hey," he grinned gently and traced his thumb over the other's bottom lip. "What's going on in that brain of yours?"

Mello's crystal eyes looked deeply into Matt's brilliant green ones for a long moment as he took a deep breath. "Matt… I-I…" he huffed out a sigh and cursed once before trying again. "I lo-," his throat went dry and his voice cracked as a look of frustration and embarrassment covered his face and made his eyebrows knit together.

Matt's eyes softened at the understanding and he leaned in to kiss Mello gently and deeply. When he pulled away he whispered, "don't worry, Mel'. I love you, too. You don't have to say it."

Relief flooded Mello's whole body and all the tension disappeared from his shoulders. He couldn't believe how good it felt to admit that he loved Matt, well almost, and have him say it back. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Mello's. "Matty, I want you to make love to me."

A gorgeous, breath taking grin split Matt's face and he kissed his lover, slipping his tongue inside to explore the warm depths and biting his lip gently. "Of course, Mel'. Tonight and every night forever. I promise."

**~/~**

Near couldn't handle it anymore. The moans and vulgar language had been coming from the next room for nearly an hour now. He was having trouble adjusting to the fact that Matt and Mello, two boys he had known for years and thought to be straight, were a couple now. Truthfully, Near had no problem with it, but it was something that would take time adjusting to. Matt did always seem like the homosexual type, but Mello was another story. But, they did seem to be happy and having fun, a little too much fun judging by the sounds coming from next door.

The little albino sighed as he gathered up his files and left his room, seeking comfort the only place he knew would give him peace if only for a little while. He knocked quickly on the third bedroom door and only had to wait a matter of seconds before he was greeted by his dark haired superior.

L didn't look at all shocked to see the boy outside his door. "Near. Did you need more help with your case?"

"No," the boy replied simply. "I couldn't concentrate given the distractions."

L raised an eyebrow. "What dis-," he was about to ask but a loud moan from Mello and a cry of ecstasy from Matt answered his question thoroughly. "Oh…" The detective actually seemed a bit uncomfortable as he shifted to another foot. "Come in," he opened his door wider, allowing the boy access to his room for the third night.

Near walked past him and made himself at home at the small desk as L took all of his things off and moved them to the bed where he sat down and sucked on a peppermint stick. An easy quiet fell on the two as they worked on their cases for nearly an hour straight.

"Why are you taking Mello out tomorrow?" Near didn't look up from his papers or stop twirling the piece of white hair around his finger.

L also didn't look up from his work. "He is becoming restless. He needs to get outside and be allowed to search for clues. Field work is what motivates him."

"You brought Matt here for motivation as well." This was a question. "It would seem as if you are working very hard to make Mello concentrate."

L sighed. "I do what I have to do to make you both comfortable." He closed his folder quickly and looked up. "Is there something I can get you that will help you concentrate?" He was getting a jealous vibe off of Near that was uncharacteristic for the boy.

Near blushed and shook his head. "I don't understand the human obsession with sex. Once they begin, it is as if they will never stop. Why would anyone want to be held prisoner by chemicals?"

L couldn't help but grin at the boy. It was obvious he was had experienced very little intimate contact in his short life. "I think you are intelligent enough to know how puberty and sexuality work. People can't always control what happens to their bodies."

Near's blush darkened and he bit at his bottom lip. "Have you ever… had intercourse?" His whole face had turned a warm shade of pink and he refused to turn around and look at the older man for fear of showing and worsening his embarrassment.

There was a long silence in the room and L thought for a long time. Was there a reason to lie? Was there a reason to tell the truth? Would any answer even change anything? He took a steadying breath before answering. "Yes," he said evenly. "I have."

Near's spine straightened and he did turn to face L now, his eyes full of wonder. "Really? With whom?" His face immediately fell and he looked down. "I'm sorry. It is none of my business to ask such personal questions."

L smiled softly at the boy. "Curiosity is only natural." He motioned for the boy to come sit by him and waited until he was settled cross legged on the bed. "It was a while back, when I was still back at Wammy's." There was no embarrassment in his voice, and he honestly wasn't embarrassed to tell Near about his experiences. "He was also at Wammy's. His name was B." L looked down for a bit, thinking of his lost friend.

Near was shocked for a moment. He had heard the stories about Beyond Birthday. He knew he used to be a student before he went crazy after his best friend A committed suicide. Those were stories that everyone whispered about, but no one mentioned that L and B had an intimate relationship. He bit his bottom lip. "What happened?"

L had a look of forlorn on his face. "B lost his mind, unfortunately… and there was nothing I could do to help him find it." He sighed. "I tried all I could…"

Silence spread throughout the room, but it wasn't awkward, it was soft and comfortable for both of them. L and Near had mutual trust and respect for one another, and there was no fear from either of them. Because of this, Near was able to make a request that would change him for the rest of his life. "L, do you remember the other night when we…" His face colored a bit, and his voice quivered slightly. It only took a moment for L to nod in the affirmative. Near took a deep breath. "I would like to do it again."

**~/~**

**Author's Note: **_Ohhh the cliff hanger! I'm sorry, my Loves, but I gotta leave you wanting more! Stay tuned for the next amazing installment! ;)_


	7. Experiments in the Dark

**Author's Note:**_ Firstly, I apologize for no chapter being released yesterday! Something came up that really couldn't be ignored so I figured I would post this chapter before my classes today. I am going to begin working on a schedule of when I will post chapter's just so it will be easier for me and everyone else. _

_Anyway, enough of that! We have reached a new pairing! I would say spoiler alert, but it's not like none of us saw it coming! Just be weary, things are always as they seem! ;)_

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**~/~**

"I would like to do it again."

That one sentence was enough to make L Lawliet rethink this entire situation. Days ago when he brought Neat and Mello here for training, he had never imagined he would be sitting in a room discussing intimacy with Near while Mello had sex with his best friend turned lover just two rooms away. L had to take time to think about this before he had make rash decisions. "Near," he said gently. "I suggest you think about this rationally. This isn't a decision to be made on a whim."

Near simply took a calming breath and began twirling his hair around his finger. "I am well aware the enormity of this request, L. Despite what you may think, I have spent time thinking about it and I have come to the simple conclusion that I would be most comfortable with you in a situation such as this one. It is no secret that I am not a very social person. I imagine me feeling comfortable enough for an intimate relationship with someone is rare."

L gulped and shifted his weight to a more suitable position on the bed. Had it been anyone else, L wouldn't have even considered this ludicrous situation, but Near was nothing close to a normal teenaged boy. "You are aware that you don't have to do something like this just because of Mello. I know you two are always competing for first, but sex has nothing to do with becoming my successor. You and I having any sort of physical relationship will not affect my judgment when it comes time to name one of you to take my place."

Near was aware of this. In fact, it had never even crossed his mind to try to seduce L in order to get in better favors with him. That wasn't what this was about. From the way things were now, this wasn't going to be about anything unless Near took initiative. He could blatantly see the conflict in L's eyes. The little albino sat up on his knees and quickly leaned in to plant a soft kiss on L's lips. The older boy was hesitant when he felt the soft pair of lips against his, but he couldn't deny how nice it was to have been kissed. Deciding that it was pointless to continue his argument, L kissed his younger companion softly. The kiss was chaste and short, which didn't help Near's situation at all. It was times like this when Near wished he could be as blunt as Mello. Had the blonde been here, he would already have L writhing beneath him.

"L," Near said finally, "in this situation, you are the one with the experience. Theoretically, you should be in the lead here."

L grinned at the albino. "I don't think a handful of hurried encounters at Wammy's counts as real experience." He blushed a bit. "Plus, Beyond was the one in control."

Near smiled. "And what did Beyond usually do to you during these hurried encounters?" He raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you could show me?"

L bit his thumb, looking over Near's face carefully reading him. A shiver went down his spine as he realized that Near was absolutely serious about this and nothing was going to talk him out of it. L took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before reaching out and pushing away the white hair that had fallen in front of his soft grey eyes. Slowly, he leaned forward and started to kiss the younger boy softly on the lips. They were both hesitant with the kiss, their pillowy lips moving gently against one another's for several heart racing seconds. When L did pull away, their lips were wet and both of their faces were colored with a gentle blush.

"It's hard to believe Beyond was that gentle with anyone given the stories they tell us about him." Near's heart was beating a little faster than normal and he could feel the heat in his pale cheeks.

L chuckled a bit, something uncharacteristic of the stoic detective. "No, he wasn't. There was nothing gentle about Beyond Birthday." Something sad flashed across L's face just for a second before he regained his composure. "But he and I are two different people." L placed a soft kiss on Near's forehead. "And I-," he placed another on Near's jaw- "am not-," his left hand came to rest on the boy's chest and pushed the boy down flat on his back with L hovering over him, their faces inches apart- "rough." The distance was closed and Near found himself being kissed deeply and passionately by his predecessor. L's fingers laced through Near's white hair, taking a moment to appreciate how soft his tresses were. The kiss lasted much longer than the first and all the tension in the room melted away as Near's small arms went around L's neck and he pulled the older man down on him until their chests were touching.

Finally, Near had to move his head to the side in order to catch a breath and L also took the opportunity to refill his lungs with much needed oxygen. There was a moment of silence when neither of the boys moved that a tremendous realization crashed through both of them. This was actually happening. L was lying atop Near kissing him. This was real.

Near was the first to turn his head back towards L and he began to plant soft kisses on his exposed neck as his hands slipped under his white shirt to spread out over his smooth chest. His lips explored the expanse of L's neck and he felt his throat vibrate as a soft moan escaped the man's mouth. After a few more seconds of being kissed by the little albino, L sat up on his knees and motioned for Near to do the same. When he did, L quickly yanked the younger boy's shirt off over his head and his eyes devoured Near's slim, pale torso. A slightly trembling hand reached out and slowly stoked over the faint outline of his ribs. Near's body visibly trembled at the contact and he bit his bottom lip gently.

"Afraid?" L raised an eyebrow at the younger boy before leaning forward to place a warm kiss in the center of his chest.

Near closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "No," he said breathlessly.

L's hand slipped slowly down his chest and he cupped the bulge that was forming in his pajama pants. "Aroused?" His voice was softer and huskier that before.

Near laughed softly and tangled his fingers in the black hair. "Immensely" he confirmed.

L smirked against Near's milky skin and began his slow descent down Near's frail body. His lips were soft and slow, his hands stroking at the boy's sides teasingly. When L had reached the supple flesh of Near's stomach, he pushed the boy down flat on the bed again and hooked his thumbs in the waistband on Near's pants. His eyes shot up at meet the pair of wide grey ones that were looking down at him. "We can stop whenever you want. You just have to tell me. I don't want to-"

Near shook his head. "I want this," he said firmly. As if to prove his point, Near reached down and slid his pants and boxers down his thin legs, leaving him completely exposed to someone for the first time in his short life. His entire body colored with a soft blush.

L was taken aback by Near's sudden boldness, but quickly recovered when he felt his own arousal in the pit of his stomach. His hand had a mind of its own as it wrapped around Near's sizable erection and began to pump gently. L immediately felt his companion's member throb under his skin and Near let out a soft whimper as he felt himself being stroked for the first time by a hand that wasn't his own.

"L…" Near said breathlessly as his hips lifted off the bed. He heard the older boy chuckle and he felt something wet and warm move over the swollen head of his erection. Near cried out as he reveled the sensation over and over again, sending him into a wave of ecstasy that had his mind reeling. He threw his head back and forth has L's mouth slid further down his erection, pleasuring the young man more and more with each passing second. L let out a moan that sent a vibrating sensation through Near's rapidly throbbing member that brought him to the very edge quickly.

Everything in the room had gone fuzzy to the young detective as he tangled both of his hands into L's thick tresses. His chest was heaving rapidly and a near constant whimper was escaping his throat. L could tell that Near was getting close and an insatiable desire to please the young man overtook his actions. He slipped Near's manhood from his mouth and continued stroking him with his hand as he leaned forward and took Near's lips in a violent, bruising kiss. His hand moved faster and fast, tightening his grip a bit as he jerked Near off.

Near's hips rose and fell off the bed and he was squirming restlessly under L. He was panting uncontrollably and mumbling nonsense that L couldn't quite make out. His face was flushed the softest shade of pink and his eyebrows were knit together as he chewed his bottom lip. The sight of him was enchanting and L felt as if he could stare down at the image forever.

Near thought that the hysteria of the situation was going to drive him wild. He felt something building in his lower abdomen and he desperately needed relief. He pressed his forehead against L's chest and cried out as he felt something within him burst and an immense sense of relief dulled his senses and he fell back on the bed in exhaustion.

L quickly hurried off to fetch a towel from the bathroom and he cleaned off himself and Near gently. The little albino stirred a bit from his stupor, his eyes glazed over. "L," he reached out and grabbed a handful of L's shirt. "It seems as though the pleasure of this encounter ended up highly one sided."

L chuckled and placed a kiss on Near's forehead. "All in good time. You should rest now." He picked up the boy and laid his head down on the soft pillows of his bed before taking his place next to him. Near didn't put up any struggle and it wasn't long before his eyes slipped closed and he was fast asleep, his hand reaching out to grab a handful of L's shirt.

**~/~**

**End Note:** _Awww! How sweet! Am I right? Sorry for this one being short. It was either cut it here or nearly triple it in length… Anyway, don't worry, this isn't a one-time occurrence. Now that we got both our pairings, you can expect a lot more fun! Next up: Mello and L leave for the day and Matt gives Near some expert advice he won't soon forget! ;)_


	8. Lessons in Seduction

**Author's Note:** _First of all, this was a really fun chapter for me to write. As some of you may be able to tell (especically those who know my other blog) that I based a lot of Matt's behavior in his first section on the Achievement Hunter guys (mostly Michael). Let's face it, he would fit in perfectly there! _

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**~/~**

"Mello, could you at least try to stay awake?" L didn't bother shifting his glance from the backseat window of the car to look at the blonde who was dozing in the seat next to him with a cup of hot chocolate lightly gripped in his left hand.

The blonde slightly adjusted himself in his seat and let out a huge yawn. "Why the hell did you drag me out at eight in the morning!" It was a well-known fact that Mello was not a morning person, and everyone made sure to stay out of his way before he had his morning chocolate fix… two servings if he was particularly cranky. "Damn crime scene could have waited a few more hours…"

L shook his head. "You know very well that time is of the essence when dealing with crime scenes. The police requested I come this morning as soon as I could manage. If you want to be my successor, you will need to learn to cooperate with law enforcement. You must be ready-"

"Yeah, yeah," Mello said, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Save the lecture for someone who is awake."

L let out a sigh before pulling his knees up to his chest and placing his thumb against his bottom lip letting his mind wander back to the sleeping figure he had left in his bed that morning.

**~/~**

Near sat at his little desk with his chin in his hand, mindlessly flipping through the endless pages of the old kidnapping file he had been working on all this time. Try as he might, he just couldn't get his mind to focus.

"HOLY FUCK GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Near practically jumped out of his skin when he heard the eccentric redhead screaming at the television as he mercilessly smashed buttons on the black controller. "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO EAT ME, ZOMBIES!"

Near shook his head. He really was beginning to wish Watari hadn't brought that video game console for Matt this morning. He had been screaming at all forms of the living dead all morning and it was really starting to get on Near's nerves.

"Matt," he said irritably. "Don't you think you should take a break from that? Staring at a television for long periods of time can harm your eyesight."

Matt scoffed. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine, Kid. I got these to protect the goods," he tapped at the orange lenses of his goggles briefly before continuing his zombie killing spree. "Besides," he added. "I have to do something to- OH SHIT! NO, NO, NO! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, ASSHOLE!?" He grabbed the headset and quickly put it on, yelling all sorts of profanities at whoever was on the other end.

Near sighed and got up from his desk and walked across the small living area to join Matt on the couch. Near never was much for video games, in fact they simultaneously disgusted, insulted, and bored him. However, he knew he could never get any work done as long as Matt was keeping this up. Near watched only slightly interested as Matt's character ran around a post-apocalyptic depiction of what was probably New York City slashing up rotten carcasses that were slowly moseying towards a group of humans with all sorts of flesh and ooze dripping from their chops.

"What is the point?" Near leaned forward, studying the movement of the AI carefully.

Matt chuckled, overjoyed that someone was asking him about video games. "Dude! It's simple!" He scooted a little closer to the boy and moved the microphone on the headset away from his mouth. "I'm group leader. And my mission is to get all of my guys to the checkpoint without any deaths." He gestured to the screen. "All eight guys on my team are played by real people, but I call the shots." He grinned triumphantly and replaced the microphone, immediately shouting orders at the other players.

Near leaned forward, carefully tracking all the movements on the screen. His eyes were darting back and forth almost as fast as his mind was working.

"Dammit, dammit!" Matt was literally on the edge of his seat, his fingers a flash as they manipulated the buttons as quick as a flash. "Don't die!" He screamed into the headset. Then a scoff. "THEN FUCKING RELOAD FASTER YOU-" The redhead cursed violently and sat back on the couch, letting out an exasperated breath. "Perfect. Just perfect. Do I really have to babysit all of you? Does no one get that the point is to _KILL_ the zombies, not make out with them?"

Near snatched the controller from Matt's lap and wrapped both hands around it securely, the slightly creepy _Near-has-this-shit-figured-out_ grin playing on his thin lips.

Matt couldn't help the smile that played on his own lips. "Alright boys," he said as he readjusted his goggles over his green eyes and sat back, putting his hands behind his head. "Gear up and follow my lead."

It only took Near two hours to perfect the game. When the little albino cleared the first stage in only ten minutes and gained a perfect score, Matt was surprised. Now, he was fucking astonished. All he could do was sit on the couch, mouth agape, and listen to the praises he was getting from the rest of his teammates, most of them not even having fired a shot in the last two rounds. When the final credits finally rolled across the flat screen television, Near simply sat down the controller, no emotion whatsoever on his stoic face, and went back to his desk.

"What… the actual fuck, Nate!" Near's eyes shot up to the redhead. The boy hadn't heard his birth name ever come from Matt's lips it sounded completely foreign. "You're a damned video game genius as well?" Matt ran a hand through his hair and huffed out a sigh. "Fuck me, dude."

A half grin crept on Near's face. "I think that's Mello's job, actually. I don't fancy having him any more angry with me than he already is."

Matt raised an eyebrow at the boy with the white hair and scoffed sarcastically. He hadn't expected him to say that. He was usually so serious. "Oh yeah, well I wouldn't dare have L Lawliet crack down on me for even thinking about touching his play mate." A vicious blushed colored Near's entire body and he adverted his eyes, shifting uncomfortably. Matt let out a chuckle. "Come on, Near. Mello and I both know. We saw-" He clamped his mouth closed quickly before he said too much and cleared his throat. "We can see it in the way you two act around each other. There's so much sexual tension between you two it's tangible."

Near twirled a piece of his white hair around his middle finger and bit at his bottom lip, electing to stay quiet for several heartbeats before he dared ask a question. "Do you miss him?" He saw Matt's eyebrows raised a little in confusion. "Mello, I mean. Since you sneaked in that night, you two haven't spent a moment apart. And I know you were always together at Wammy's."

Matt shrugged, trying to be nonchalant, but Near could see a softness come into his brilliant green eyes. "Yeah, I miss him." He was quiet for a moment, but it was obvious there was something he was going to say, so Near waited until he was ready to say it. "I know everyone thinks he is a selfish prick. Hell, even Mello thinks he's a selfish prick. But he's different with me." He grinned a little. "My Mihael is different. He's warm and… loving. No one else gets to see Mihael but me." A gentle warmth crept into his eyes and reflected in his smile. "So even when he loses his temper and yells at me, I don't get mad. I know that he just has to be Mello for a little while, and Mihael will be back soon. He loves me, even if he can't admit it openly, and he knows I love him back."

Near was silent as he looked down at nothing in particular. So that was what love looked like? In all his years, he had never seen it before, and he had certainly never felt it. He was almost jealous at how happy the pair seemed. He was also curious. Seeing them touch and kiss the way they did piqued Near's interest. He never understood how they could be so blatant with their sexuality. He had watched Matt do little more than touch Mello to have the blonde practically melting for him. Secretly, Near wanted that power. He wanted to be able to make someone, one someone in particular, writhe with just one single touch.

"Matt," Near said hesitantly, his voice shaking a bit. "H-how do you do it?"

Matt's eyebrows knit together. "Do what, exactly?"

Near let out a little breath. "S-seduce Mello. I… I want to learn how."

Matt's jaw nearly hit the floor before he was overtaken with a bout of laughter that made him hold his belly. When he came around, he saw the little albino had pulled his legs up to his chest and seemed to be trying to bury his head like a turtle. Matt immediately sobered up and a wave of guilt overtook him. "Hey, Nate, no. I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you, really." He was relieved when the boy peeped up at him curiously. "I've just never had anyone ask me for lessons in seduction before." He grinned hugely. "I'll help you." He patted the couch next to him. "Come on, when I'm done with you, L will get wood at just the sound of your voice!"

Near slowly got out of his chair and joined Matt on the couch. The red head turned so he was facing the boy and placed his goggles atop his head. "What's your kink?"

Near raised both eyebrows. "Kink? I don't-"

"Yes you do," Matt interrupted. "Everyone has one, you just haven't found yours yet. The first thing you gotta do is figure out your kink, then figure out L's. Once you get comfortable with him, you can use his kink to have him begging for you."

"What's your and Mello's?" Near asked.

"Mello's is teasing," Matt replied cheekily, cocking his head to the side. "And mine is being teased."

Near's blush reached from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. "Oh. It seems as though you two are perfect for each other."

Matt chuckled. "It's all a learning process." He bit at his bottom lip. "Have you and L actually…?" He gave Near a knowing glance.

Near shook his head. "No… we, um…" He faltered. "We…"

"Oral?" Matt saw a shudder run through Near's body and he shook his head. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You brought it up so you must really want to talk about it. No judgments."

Near nodded, taking a breath. "I've never… given oral. I've just…"

Matt understood. "So he gave you head and you gave him a hand job," he said as if he were talking about the weather. "A lot of kissing?"

Near shrugged. "I don't really know how…"

"Oh, it's easy!" Matt scooted a little closer. "Here, I'll show you." He leaned forward, but Near quickly pulled away. Matt put a hand on his shoulder. "It's just a kiss. I want to help you. Nothing funny, I swear." Matt closed the distance between him and kissed Near for a second before pulling away. "That will never do," he said softly. "Loosen up." He took the albino by the shoulders and shook him lightly. "Calm down. It's me. You've known me since we were kids."

Near took a breath and nodded, sucking in and closing his eyes as Matt leaned in again. This time, Near allowed himself to stay relaxed when he felt a soft pair of lips press against his. Matt was soft, but not very gentle. His lips immediately took control of Near's and the boy allowed his lips to be manipulated by the slightly older boy. Suddenly, Near felt Matt's tongue slip inside his mouth and explore the expanse as if it belonged to him. Near's back immediately straightened and the kiss was audibly broken, Matt grinning in triumph. "Good, right?"

Near simple nodded, touching his lips tentatively.

"Go ahead," Matt ordered. "Try it out on me. Put that big brain of yours to good use."

Near nodded again, a determined look on his face as he shifted to sit on him knees in order to be a bit taller than Matt. Without taking time to think about it, Near placed both hands on Matt's shoulders and leaned in, planting his lips on the other boy's softly. At first, the kiss was simple and innocent, but Near's confidence grew when he felt Matt's hands move to his waist. Near's lips took control and bit at Matt's bottom lip before his tongue slipped out slowly and moved across the soft flesh, seeking entrance. Matt complied, allowing Near entrance to his mouth and the white haired boy let his tongue slowly slide over every one of Matt's teeth before probing deeper and sliding over the roof of his mouth, eliciting a small sigh from the red head.

Matt broke away the kiss, his lips wet and only slightly swollen from the exchange, his breath coming in little pants. "Dammit, Near. Do you always have to be such a fast learner?"

The younger boy blushed innocently and smiled. "Good?"

Matt laughed. "Any better and I would have gotten wood." He tousled Near's hair, much to his displeasure.

Just then, the two heard the ding of the elevator outside and footsteps coming towards the room. In seconds, the front door was slung open and a very annoyed looking blonde stormed in, kicking over a poor, innocent potted plant that sat near the entrance as he went.

Matt immediately jumped up. "Mello? What is the ma-"

"Not now, Matt," Mello answered harshly, crossing the distance to his bedroom and slamming the door in his boyfriend's face.

The redhead stood at the door for a second before turning around, his face twisted in something that resembled hurt and anger. Near felt he should say something, but he didn't know what. He liked Matt, even as far to say they were friends, but he didn't know anything about being a friend and he didn't think now was a good time to try to learn.

"Where is he?" L was standing in the doorway now, his white shirt and baggy jeans smudged in mud and grass stains, his left cheek a brilliant red.

Near's heart was immediately pounding. He wanted to get up and run over to L, to look him over for any further injuries. "Mello struck you?" was all his pathetic mouth could manage.

L didn't answer. His cold eyes seemed to stare right through Near for a moment before bouncing over to Matt. "Mihael Keehl needs to get his temper under control if he ever hopes to get any sort of job in the future. His fits of anger and hatred of authority isn't going to get him anywhere." As he spoke, he nonchalantly walked across the room and disappeared behind his door.

There was a moment of silence where Matt and Near simply stared at each other. Somehow, exchanges like this felt normal now. If Matt and L ever made it through the day without fighting, it would be a miracle. Matt shifted his weight to the balls of his feet and back down, sighing a bit. "I should go see Mello," he said quietly before slipping into the room, leaving Near to his thoughts.

**~/~**

When Matt entered the bedroom, Mello was sitting on the bed typing furiously on the small silver laptop. Without looking up, Mello's right hand secured around his silver handgun and he pointed the weapon at Matt, cocking it with his thumb.

Matt didn't even flinch, but he also didn't move from his position. "What happened?"

Mello pulled the trigger of the empty gun before throwing it across the room as if it were a piece of trash, all the while his left hand molesting the keyboard on his lap. "That bastard thinks he's better than me? He thinks I can't solve a case? I'll fucking show him!" His blue eyes were burning with an intense anger.

Matt sighed and crossed the room to sit beside his boyfriend on the bed. He glanced casually at the screen to see Mello was attempting to hack into a government database that held police records. Matt perked up and studied the screen with interest. He may not have been good at solving mysteries on paper, but he was a whiz at hacking. "Wait, no. That's wrong." He pointed at a line of code on the screen. "To get past the firewall you have to-"

"Holy fuck!" Mello swatted Matt's hand away and got off the bed, slamming the computer down on the small desk beside the bed and plopping down in the wooden seat. "Can't anyone let me fucking do anything!?" He turned his back to his boyfriend and continued typing. Seconds later, the computer beeped and big red letters came across the screen spelling _ACCESS DENIED_. Mello let out a growl and a loud "Motherfucker!" before starting his second attempt.

Matt shook his head and left the room quietly. The living room was now empty. Matt was slightly disappointed that Near wasn't there. The redhead made his way to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and searching for a moment before his eyes lit up. "Bingo," me murmured as he grabbed an item and hurried back to his bedroom door. Just before entering, he froze as a devious smile painted his lips. He grabbed a pen and piece of paper from the nearest desk, quickly scribbling a note and shoving it under Near's door. He then escaped back to his room, leaving the door cracked just a bit.

Mello was still typing away at that stupid computer, as Matt expected. The redhead hid his latest treasure behind his back and crossed the room, sitting on the edge of the bed closest to Mello. "Mello," he said gently running his hand down the boy's arm. "You've been gone all day. Stop working."

"Dammit, Matt. I have to get this done," he growled. "Your blue balls can wait."

Matt cocked his eyebrow up, pulling the bottle of chocolate sauce from behind his back and tilting his head, filling his mouth to the brim with the sweet liquid. Without wasting a second, Matt grabbed Mello's chin and pressed their lips together, giving him a long, sloppy, chocolate kiss. As soon as the nectar hit Mello's tongue, his whole body went limp and a guttural moan escaped his throat. Mello's tongue immediately tangled with Matt's, stealing as much of the chocolate as he could and his fingers grabbed a handful of the boy's striped shirt. Matt forced himself away, slowly licking all the stray chocolate from his lips. "Still have work to do?"

Mello's blue eyes were clouded with lust and there was a definite tent in his pants, but to Matt's surprise he simply nodded. "I have to get this done," his voice was husky and cracked, his eyes full of remorse. He ran his hand across his mouth and went back to his work.

Matt sighed dramatically. Fine. If Mello wanted to play hard to get, Matt could play that game. He snatched his shirt off, tossing it across the room and throwing himself down on the bed. He laid there for a moment, huffing loudly and readjusting his weight to make the mattress squeak, but Mello never looked up. Matt held he bottle of chocolate sauce above his torso and slowly drizzled the thick concoction over his chest and stomach. When he was satisfied with his doing, he cleared his throat loudly. "Mel'," he said sweetly. "I've seemed to have made a mess. Will you help me?"

"God, Matt. What am I? Your fucking babysit-" Mello turned around quickly, completely freezing like a statue when he looked at Matt's chocolate covered torso. His throat immediately went dry and he struggled for breath. "Bloody hell, Matt."

Matt pouted pitifully, making his emerald green eyes as big as saucers. "Help me, Mihael," he whined.

Try as he might, Mello couldn't ignore the fierce arousal he was feeling and it was all he could do not to pounce on top of his boyfriend and take him right then and there. Mello climbed onto the bed between Matt's legs, running a finger through the sticky mess before licking it away suggestively. "You get my bed sticky and I'm going to beat your ass."

Matt smiled, satisfied that his plan had worked. His back arched and he bit his bottom lip. "Then you better hurry and get me cleaned up, Tiger." He winked devilishly.

Mello slowly leaned down, his tongue roaming over the sticky flesh, greedily lapping up the chocolate sauce. The feeling instantly made Matt's brain go fuzzy. He closed his eyes, cooing softly as Mello cleaned away all the sticky mess from his torso. When he was done, Mello slowly trailed his tongue up Matt's neck and kissed him fiercely. When he was done kissing him, Mello bit down on Matt's bottom lip as he moved to straddle his hips, the firm pressure on his erection making Matt squirm.

"You're fucking insatiable, Mail," Mello growled as he moved his hips slowly against Matt's.

The aroused redhead sat up and ripped off Mello's leather jacket, biting down roughly on his neck and leaving perfectly formed teeth marks. He drizzled more of the chocolate down his lover's chest and licked it away before taking one of his nipples in his mouth and biting roughly. Mello's head fell back and he moaned deeply as he rubbed against Matt, the friction causing a white bubble of heat to form in the pit of his loins. "Fuck," he growled as he got out of Matt's lap. "Get your fucking clothes off, now." Before the blonde could even finish his sentence, Mello was stripping himself of his shoes, pants, and boxers. It only took Matt a moment to gather his thoughts and he was quickly stripping himself naked. When both boys were shed of their clothing, Mello took his place on Matt's lap and the two kissed slowly and passionately for several minutes, lovingly caressing each other.

Still kissing Matt eagerly, Mello reached into the drawer of the bedside table and felt around for the little bottle of lube he knew would be there. Once it was in his possession, Mello pulled away and deposited a copious amount of the substance on Matt's engorged erection, causing the redhead to gasp and arch his hips. Mello's hand immediately wrapped around him and began to stroke slowly, licking his swollen lips.

Matt's hips rose off the bed and he groaned loudly. "Fuucck, Mel'!" He panted desperately. "That's it, baby." He ran his hand slowly down Mello's chest, memorizing every inch of him.

After a few more strokes, Mello retook his position on Matt's lap and lined the head of his swollen erection at his entrance. Mello hesitated slightly, keeping his eyes closed. He heard Matt catch his breath in surprise at this new position, but didn't dare look at the red head. He knew one glance at those emerald orbs would take away all his willpower just like that. Without taking another moment to think about it, Mello impaled himself on Matt, crying out desperately at the odd mixture of pleasure and pain that filled his body.

Matt, too, was panting and groaning helplessly at the new sensation of being inside Mello. He was tight and amazingly warm around his throbbing member and Matt had to concentrate hard to keep from exploding right then. They were both silent for several moments, eyes closed and breathing slow. Finally, Mello did open his eyes only to see Matt staring back at him, his eyes full of a soft lust that made his heart swell. When all the pain was gone, Mello lifted himself off of Matt and back down, a wave of ecstasy filling his body as Matt's cock head hit some magical spot within his body. Mello continued riding his boyfriend, that bubble of pleasure growing more and more with each stroke.

Suddenly, Matt saw Mello's eyes focus on something for a split second before an evil grin took over his face. Mello placed both hands on Matt's chest and threw his head back. "Fuck me, Matt!" He cried out. "Yes! Right there!" He ground his hips harder against Matt, over exaggerating his moves. "I'm a slave to your enormous fucking cock! It's stretching me out so good."

Matt's arousal immediately soared upon hearing his lover beg for him. His hand snaked between them and wrapped around Mello's throbbing erection and began stroking him hard and slow.

"Yes," Mello groaned loudly. "Stroke my hard cock!" His head fell forward, his blonde hair falling in front of his face like a veil. "Cum inside me, baby! Fill me with your cum, Matt! Show me how much you love fucking me."

A visible shudder ran through Matt's body and he cried out into the room. Both of his hands took Mello's hips and he forcefully thrust his hips up, making Mello howl each time he hit his prostate. Matt's body was trembling and he was gasping for breath as his impending release built in the pit of his stomach. "OH FUCK," he cried out as his vision went blurry and he felt himself release inside Mello. Seconds later, he heard the blonde curse harshly and he collapsed in a panting heap atop Matt.

The red head chuckled breathlessly, kissing Mello's shoulder. "I should make a mess more often."

**~/~**

Near was harder than he had ever been in his life. Minutes before, he had been minding his own business in his room when a piece of paper was slid under his door. He picked it up and read the messy handwriting:_ Your next lesson is about to begin. Come see the show._ There was no doubt in his mind who the note was from. His heart was pounding as he left his room to see that Matt and Mello's door had been left agape. Near moved closer until he saw Matt pouring chocolate syrup all over his chest and abdomen. Near knew he shouldn't be watching this, but something inside him kept his body anchored in its current place.

Now, Near was throbbing and blushing wildly as he watched the two boys panting on the bed. Near had never been one to watch pornography, but if it was anything like what he had just seen, he was definitely going to have to check it out. When fear of getting caught got to the boy, he forced himself away from the door and he sat down at his desk. His mind was racing and Matt's words were echoing in his ear. He had to find his kink. Near quickly pulled up the web browser on his laptop and began his search.

**~/~**

Once Matt was sure Mello was fast asleep, he shifted the boy off of him and laid his head on the pillows. He padded off to the bathroom, fetched a towel, cleaned himself and his boyfriend off, covered him up, and kissed his forehead before pulling on a pair of pajama pants and leaving the bedroom. Much to his surprise, Near was sitting at his desk, his pale face illuminated by the glow of his computer screen. The boy's eyes didn't leave the screen for a nanosecond.

"Enjoy the show?" Matt asked as he went to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water, downing half of its contents in just a few seconds. Near still didn't answer. His gaze was fixed upon the screen, his creepy smile playing on his lips. Matt crossed the room, peering over his shoulder. "What is so interest-" His words caught in his throat when he saw the images on the screen. "What's that?"

"My kink," Near said plainly.

Matt let out a little hmm, leaning closer. "Interesting." He grinned. "I can help you out with that no problem, Kid."

Near's eyes finally left the screen and he looked seriously at Matt. "You can?"

The redhead chuckled. "Yeah. Just tell L in the morning that you and I are going on a little shopping trip." He tousled Near's white tresses before heading back to his bedroom. "I'm gonna help you rock Lawliet's world." He stopped to wink at the grinning albino before shutting his bedroom door.

**~/~**

**Author's Note:** _OHMYGOODNESS! Hands down best chapter to date! So what do you guys think? Anyone have a guess on Near's kink? Be sure to let me know your best guesses and (of course) be sure to tune in next chapter to see if you were right!_


	9. Shopping Trip

**Author's Note:**_ I think this is probably one of the longest chapters to date. Also, Near's kink will be revealed. And, yes, his is a personal favorite of mine as well. Big shout-out to all of you who have been reading these little posts! I hope all of you are adjusting to the new schedule! _

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**~/~**

Near tugged at a section of his hair as he stood outside of L's door, an action that was becoming almost like a ritual. Did he go in? Last he saw his… companion, he was covered in dirt and burning with an internal anger that was uncharacteristic of the man. Of course, he wasn't alone in his anger, but no one was ever surprised when Mello was angry and it seemed as if Matt knew just how to quell the blonde boy's temper. Near passively wondered if he would have to use such measures to calm down L, but quickly dismissed that as an unlikelihood. L wasn't the impulsive type like Mello. Finally, Near lifted his tiny hand and knocked softly at the wooden door.

"Come in," he heard L's monotonic voice command and the small boy was quick to open the door just enough to slip inside, his grey eyes studying the man that was perched on his desk chair. Seeing him again made a pink blush come to Near's face, but he didn't advert his eyes. L took a moment to look up from his computer and Near thought he saw something soft appear there in his features, but that could have very well been his imagination because his voice didn't show any of that softness. "Near. I was sure you weren't coming tonight. Watari told me you went to your own room."

"I thought you would want your privacy after the obvious fight between you and Mello," Near said calmly, emotionlessly. "If you still require time I will return to my own room."

"No," L said simply as he closed his laptop and placed a Manila folder in one of the drawers of the desk. "I was about to turn in for the night. Physical activity tires me out and Mello didn't make things any easier." L rose from his seated position and walked toward his bed, removing his jeans before sliding between the sheets and laying his head on one of the pillow. "Join me if you like."

Near bit at his bottom lip. Somehow, he felt extremely awkward and embarrassed at the invitation to literally sleep with the detective, an action that didn't involve any sexual activity whatsoever. Truth be told, Near wasn't normally a sexual person, but the "show" he had witnessed from Matt and Mello left him a bit on edge. Not to mention the things he saw online… Near quickly blinked those thoughts away as a bright blush rose in his cheeks yet again. Thinking of that wouldn't be of any use to him now. Slowly, he crossed the room and crawled up into L's large bed. Up until now, he had never taken time to appreciate the size and comfort of the detective's bed. Now, as he was nestled among the pillowy duvet and many feather pillows, he appreciated the softness and warmth of the California King sized bed. Just as Near settled himself in the bed, he felt a hand brush away the hair from his face and his grey eyes wandered over to look at the obsidian ones that stared back. L's cheek that had once been bright red was now a sickly mixture of blue, black, and yellow. "Why did he strike you?"

L took a deep breath through his nostrils and let it out slowly before answering. "I said things I shouldn't have. I let my anger get to me, and I did not watch my words carefully enough. I did deserve it, I will admit." He gave the boy a small smile but it meant nothing because it didn't reach his eyes.

Near nodded, not at all satisfied with that answer, but understanding full well that those were the only details L wanted to give him for the time being. Near lifted himself off the bed and leaned forward, placing the softest of kisses on L's bruised cheek, letting his lips linger there just for a moment longer so he could take in the sweet aroma that surrounded the detective. He allowed the older boy to encircle his waist with one of his strong arms as if Near was a stuffed animal and the younger boy was nestled against his companion's chest. Actually, it did feel very nice to be this close to L, his arm protectively around Near. The white haired boy found himself slowly tracing his fingers across L's chest as he spoke. "L, would you mind very much if I were to ask a favor of you?"

L raised an eyebrow, his fingers lightly brushing against Near's ribs. "I suppose it couldn't hurt," he answered softly.

Near bit at his bottom lip, glad he didn't have to look at L right now for fear of losing his nerve. "Matt has expressed his desire to go shopping to me on more than one occasion and suggested that I accompany him." The white haired boy spoke quickly but calmly. "His reasoning is you and Mello left the apartment today, so it is only fair that you allow us our turn at a day out." He paused for a moment. "Those are all his words not mine." Near was actually quite pleased and shocked with himself that he was able to come up with such a convincing lie on the spot like that.

He felt a "hmm" vibrate through L's chest and he was silent for a moment, seeming to be thinking. "Shopping? And what is it that the boy desires that Watari can't get him? And why did he suggest you go and not Mello?"

Near paled slightly. He was going to have to be smart to outwit L. This was by far his greatest test. "Video games," he replied. "Watari got him a console, but to quote Matt: 'The old man is shit at picking out games. Every single one was either too easy, or I already perfected before.' So he wishes the freedom to go pick out his own." Near heard L chuckle above him and smiled his own victorious grin. "And he says Mello doesn't let him look at the games properly. He is always rushing him and he says there are plenty of puzzle games that I may be interested in."

"It seems you and Mail have struck up quite a friendship from just one day of being together." L took a moment before nodding. "Alright. I'll have a driver take you two to the local mall in the morning. There is a store that sells video games there. I would allow you to take Watari, but I'm afraid I need him here."

Near grinned to himself, nuzzling against L's chest and allowing the wave of exhaustion he didn't know he was fighting to overcome him.

**~/~**

"What the hell do you mean shopping?" Mello rolled over in bed and watched his lover getting dressed quickly after just learning that he and Near of all people had planned a shopping trip.

Matt shrugged. "I need new games. The kid likes puzzles. I figured he would enjoy it." The redhead was actually very proud of Near for coming up with this little story. Of course, the two had already rehearsed this earlier when Matt snuck away from the sleeping Mello to make Near ask L for permission only to find out it had been done. "You and L got a field trip yesterday. It's our turn."

Mello grimaced. "Since when are you and that little freak such chums?"

Matt grinned. "Since you ditched me for L yesterday. Don't worry. We won't be gone more than a couple hours." He leaned down and kissed his sleepy lover slowly and softly, eliciting a little moan from the boy. Truthfully, he knew how horny Mello was when he first woke up and was hoping to use that to keep him from asking any more questions. "If you're a good boy I may bring you home a present."

Mello rolled his eyes dramatically. "Matt, have you forgotten who you're talking too? If I have to be good in order to get a present, I'll never get one."

"Good. Then I'll never have to worry about spending money on you," Matt quipped, which got him a hard kick from Mello that just narrowly missed his groin. "Now, now, Love. Don't damage the goods. Your right hand can only do so much for you." Matt winked, flashed Mello a cheeky grin, and ran out the bedroom door just in time to head the loud _thunk_ of one of Mello's combat boots hitting the wooden door.

**~/~**

Matt idly played with the button on the car door that made his window go up and down as they rode into town in a stretch limo. "L sure doesn't care about wasting money. A limo just to go to the mall? Seems a bit ridiculous."

Near nodded, his mind obviously a thousand miles away. "Matt, how is a trip to the mall going to help me?"

The red head shrugged. "It won't at all unless you were smart enough to ask L for some cash."

Near's tiny hand disappeared into his pocket for a moment and came back holding a shiny platinum bank card between his middle and pointer fingers. "He said spend whatever we like. There's plenty."

Matt whistled. "Damn, Kid. You picked the right man to sleep with." Perfect, he thought to himself. This was going to be a piece of cake.

The rest of the car ride was silent except for the soft classical music that drifted through the speakers. Just as Matt was beginning to nod off, the car came to an abrupt stop and the driver informed the boys that they had reached their destination. Matt quickly exited the limo and walked coolly through the front entrance of the mall with Near hurrying along behind him, his eyes wide and full of wonder.

Matt smirked. "What's up with you, Kid? You look as though you've never been to a mall before."

Near blushed lightly. "I haven't. I've hardly left Wammy's since I was brought there as a child."

Matt fell silent then, having completely shoved his foot into his mouth. He had known Near since they were both young, and he always knew the boy was alone, but he thought it was because he preferred it that way. Everyone at Wammy's whispered things about Near and called him a loner. Matt had always assumed it was by choice that he didn't have any friends. Deciding it was best to not ask a bunch of questions, Matt walked through the mall as if he knew it like the back of his hand and went directly to the nearest ATM. He held out his hand to Near, who looked him over skeptically. "Give me the bank card, Kid."

Near raised an eyebrow, shifting a bit. "Why?"

"Because, that's why." He shrugged. "I don't like leaving a paper trail. Trust me, you don't want to leave one either. Not this time."

Still skeptical, Near dug into his pocket once again and relinquished the card. Matt took it and swiped it quickly, his fingers moving over the touch screen quick as lightning. In seconds, the machine was spitting out bills one offer another.

Near was dumbfounded by the red head for once in his life. "How did you know the PIN-number?"

Matt scoffed. "Oh, please. You see how much free time I have in that stupid apartment. I hacked into his bank records a while back. In fact, I already had a counterfeit made just in case."

"You were going to steal L's identity?"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Steal his identity? Weren't we all brought to Wammy's to eventually become L? As far as I'm concerned, that money belongs to all of us." Matt pocketed the money before producing a small plastic rectangle from his pocket which he handed to his friend.

Near took the card and studied it carefully. "A fake ID?" He looked over the birth certificate. "This says I'm 18. Why do I need a fake ID that only makes me 18?"

Matt simply grinned at the boy and began walking through the crowded mall past shops of every sort. Behind him, Near hurried along, trying his best to stay small and avoid the groups of people around him. More than once, Near was sure he had lost the redhead in the crowd but he always managed to find him. Near's confusion was growing with each store they passed and it didn't get any better when they entered one of the large department stores. "Matt, where are we going?"

The redhead simply shrugged and headed towards the back exit of the store. Once they were on the street, he pulled his goggles down over his eyes and lit up a cigarette. He took a long draw from it before sticking both his hands in his pockets and strolling down the street. "It's not far now, Kid." The two of them continued down for six more blocks before Matt stopped dead in his tracks and Near ran right into him.

"Matt, what are you-" Near looked up at the building and his mouth fell open as his face turned the brightest shade of pink ever imagined. "Did you bring me to a sex shop!?"

Matt laughed out loud, holding his stomach. "Well, duh. How the hell did you expect me to help you without bringing you here? I can't pull it out of my ass."

Near seemed to crouch down even smaller and he violently tugged at a piece of his hair. "I-I, we, can't go in there! They don't sell to anyone under-" His light grey eyes widened and his hand went to the fake ID in his pocket. "That's what this is for!"

Matt snickered, ruffling Near's hair playfully. "And Mello says you're a shit detective." He pinched the boy's cheek playfully. "Now wipe that cute little kitten look off your face or they will never believe you're 18." With that, Matt took another draw off his cigarette before walking into the shop.

"This is never going to work," Near mumbled to himself as he followed the redhead into the shop. The first thing Near noticed upon entering the shop was how absolutely normal it seemed, like any other shop. Granted, most other shops didn't have a large wall displaying a variety of personal massagers of all different shapes and sizes. Towards the back of the store, Near could hear the sound of a girl giggling and he could just see the top of Matt's head over one of the racks of lingerie.

"Matt, babe, it's been too long! You never come and see me anymore!" When Near made his way around the racks he saw a rather cute girl with big brown eyes and straight black hair leaning against the counter, her hand resting atop Matt's.

Matt laughed coolly, shrugging. "I've been busy."

Suddenly, the raven haired beauty looked up and Near curiously. "Matt, is this…" Her eyes darted back to Matt's and her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "Is that your Mello?"

This time, Matt couldn't contain the fit of laughter that shook his thin frame. Apparently his laughter was infectious, because it wasn't long before the girl started giggling with him. When Matt could finally catch his breath, he wiped a tear from his eye and shook his head. "No, Angel, that's not Mello. This," he motioned for Near to come over, "is my friend Near." Matt cleared his throat. "He's looking for something special."

Angel bit her bottom lip. "I don't know… You know Greg could come back any minute. If he saw me selling to minors, I'm screwed. He will never believe a fake ID. That kid barely looks 15."

Matt dug into his pocket for a moment before slowly sliding a bill across the counter and leaned in a bit closer. "Do it for me, Angel." His voice dropped so low that he knew only Angel could hear. "I'm trying to help the kid lose his V card. He's got… a particular set of tastes."

Angel eyed the money for a moment before taking it and sliding it in her back pocket and heaving out a sigh. "You know I can never say no to you, Matt. But if Greg comes back you two have to get out without him seeing you." She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned down on the counter. "What's he need?"

Matt grinned triumphantly. He had hit the jackpot.

**~/~**

"Near, get your little ass out here now!" Matt was sitting on a vibrating leather chair with his head in his hands. "Don't make me come in there."

"No," Matt heard from behind the purple curtain of the large dressing room.

"Dammit, Kid." Matt mumbled as he forced himself out of the chair. "You are being such a pain!" He threw back the curtain and saw the little albino sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest staring at his reflection in the mirror. The things Matt had picked out for him were strewn across the carpeted floor. "Near, you haven't even tried the shit on! What have you been doing? Jerking off?"

Near shook his head quickly. "I can't wear this stuff. L will think I'm ridiculous."

Matt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger before squatting down next to Near and picking up the headpiece. He situated himself between the mirror and Near as he placed the piece on his head, moving his hair until it was to his liking. Next, he pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen a few times, calling up the search browser. "This is what you like, right?" He turned the phone around for Near to inspect.

The boy looked at the small screen for a bit before nodding.

"Alright," Matt slid the phone back into his pocket and stepped out of the way. "Mission accomplished."

Near's grey eyes grew wide as he stared at himself in the mirror before him. Slowly, his hand came up to his head and he stroked the soft fur of the white cat ears cautiously. The white headband blended in with his hair perfectly, making the ears look as if they had always been on the top of his head. In the reflection of the mirror he saw Matt move behind him and he felt a slight tug on his belt loop as the boy attached a fluffy white tail to his pants. In seconds, Near had gone from just a boy to a feline hybrid.

Matt stepped back, looking his friend over carefully. Near had went from fiddling with his ears to stroking the long tail as if he was in a trance. One finger was twirling his hair as always and he was biting on his bottom lip, a pink blush coloring his face. He had to admit, the boy did look awful cute. If little and cute were Matt's type, Matt would definitely be interested. "Oh!" He said quickly. "I forgot a piece."

Near watched as Matt leaned down behind him and fasten a pale blue collar trimmed in white lace around his neck. On the front was a little gold tag and upon further inspection Near could see it was inscribed with the letter "L." Near fingered the little gold circle delicately. "This isn't… too much?"

Matt grinned. "You're lucky I don't get the leash as well."

Near gulped. "A leash would imply resistance."

"Maybe L would like that. You never know. He used to be friends with that B character and we all know how he-"

"L isn't like B. Don't say things like that."

Matt held his hands up. "Fine, fine. I was just saying. Don't get your tail in a bunch, Kid." He ruffled Near's hair playfully. "Come on, get that stuff off. We gotta head back to the mall before that driver gets back." He left Near sitting on the floor staring at his own reflection while he made a quick trip to the front of the store to pick up something special.

**~/~**

The duo made it to the entrance of the mall just as their driver pulled up in the stretch limo. Both boys had a bag filled to the brim with video games, but there was also something else at the bottoms of the bags. To the casual passers-by, it looked as if the boys had just spent their life savings on video games, but only they knew the real treasures of what was in the bags.

"Matt," Near said softly after several minutes of a quiet car ride. "I just wanted to say tha-"

"Nope," the redhead said quickly. "Don't thank me until after the main event. Then feel free to shower me with praises of how amazing I am."

Near grinned to himself, clutching his bag closer to his chest. He had never had a friend before.

When the two made it back to the apartment, L was watching surveillance film on a tiny television and munching on sugar cookies. He didn't even bother looking up as the boys walked into the apartment. "I trust you two had an enjoyable time shopping."

"Oh, yeah. It was just purr-fect." Matt teased, elbowing the blushing Near.

L didn't seem to notice the pun. "Matt, I've finally gotten Mello to take a case seriously. Please stay in here and play your games so he can concentrate. I don't mean to offend you, but Mello concentrating on something beneficial to me is rare. Near, your notes are still on your desk. I looked over them and left some helpful tips."

"Yeah, whatever." Matt stealthily slipped the bag from the sex shop out of the bag and into Nears hands before plopping down on the couch and looking through his new video games.

Near quickly slipped into his bedroom and hid the bag in his dresser before returning back to his desk and settling down to his work.

Eight hours and two video games later and Matt was about to scream from boredom. "L," he announced suddenly. "I know why I could never be your successor."

From across the room, L shifted in his seat. "Really? And why is that?"

Matt lifted himself off the couch and stretched, idly walking around the tiny living room. "Because I could never sit on my ass for hours on end staring at a bunch of words on paper or watching the same surveillance tape over and over again."

"Yet you can sit on that couch for eight hours playing video games?"

"Well, yeah! That's because there is action! I get to fuck shit up in video games and no one can stop me!"

L simply shook his head, returning his attention to the screen until he felt a presence getting closer to him.

"L," he heard Matt's voice say gently. "Don't you think it's time to call it a day?"

"No," was his answer. "I think I have work to do. And Near and Mello need to learn that sometimes the case comes before sleep."

Matt grinned wickedly, leaning a bit closer and concentrating on the surveillance screen as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. From the corner of his eye, he saw Near looking curiously at him. "Maybe I can help you find something. I need something to do," he said loudly enough for Near to hear him before dropping his voice just for L. "You know you don't want to be out here anymore than I do."

L bit at his thumb. "I don't know what you're talking about," he whispered back.

Matt chuckled. "Sure you don't. You're also not thinking about what you're gonna do next time you get Near in your bed." He saw L's body stiffen. "That's right," he continued. "I know about it. So why are you still sitting here?" After another half second, Matt straightened up. "I don't know, L." He said in his normal voice. "I don't see anything that helps your case at all." He walked across the room towards his bedroom. "I'm going to my room. Maybe there's some fun to be had in there," he winked at Near. "Night, Kid."

With Matt's presence gone from the room, an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Near found himself unable to look at the stupid folder any longer. Truthfully, he had solved the case the first day he got it, but it had been the excuse he used to visit L and he simply didn't want to let on that he solved it. Although, it didn't matter now because he actually didn't need an excuse to visit L. He bit at his bottom lip before speaking. "L, I think I've solved the burglary case."

The television that L had been so religiously watching suddenly turned off and he got up from his chair and walked to Near's desk. "And what did you come up with?" He stood behind the younger boy with his right hand resting on the desk and his left holding on the back of Near's desk chair.

Near took a moment to take a breath and calm his rapidly beating heart. "Suspect number 5." He took the picture of said subject and held it up. "Here's all the evidence I gathered."

L leaned forward some, his chest almost touching Near's head as his eyes scanned the notebook paper. "I suppose you don't need me to tell you that you are correct," he said after a while. "Good work. You are showing great potential."

Near blushed at the praise and smiled a little warm smile. "Thank you." He whispered softly.

He felt L's hand stroke his back gently. "I think that's enough for one night." His hand lingered where it was for a moment before he walked away. Near watched him leave and the second he was gone Near slid off his seat and hurried to his own room.

**~/~**

"This is stupid," Near mumbled to himself as he looked at the contents of his secret shopping bag. "L is going to think this is weird." He took the cat ears into his hand and stroked the soft fur. "He's going to think I'm weird for liking this." He sat there for another minute staring at his new treasures thinking of what Matt would say. Probably something like: "Get your ass in there and put on a show, Kid." Near shook his head, sighing. It was easy for Matt to say things like that. Had it been him in this position, he would have already been in there wearing nothing but the ears and a cheeky smile. Suddenly, a burst of determination overtook Near and he took a long, deep breath. Matt wasn't the only one who could be sexy.

**~/~**

L stared at the white tile of the shower as the Luke-warm water plastered his black hair to his forehead. Showers were the only place the detective ever got any peace of mind. His mind began to idly wander to the white haired angel that hadn't given him any peace since that first night he came to his room during the thunderstorm. All of that seemed so long ago, when in fact it was only a couple of days. He remembered the way it felt when Near had kissed his bruised cheek last night. He closed his eyes and thought about how soft and gentle those lips had been and how warm he had been snuggled against his chest. A dull ache arose in his abdomen and he sighed. This wasn't good. He was allowing himself to get far too attached to his potential successor. This had to stop before someone ended up getting more hurt than necessary. Wammy children couldn't afford to have relationships like this. Their whole lives had to be completely and totally devoted to stopping the evil of the world no matter what it cost them.

L shut the water to the shower off and stepped out onto the cold tile floor, wrapping a towel around his narrow hips. He stood at the sink and stared at his reflection in the half-fogged mirror before him. Other than the ghastly bruise on his face, he looked better than he had in a long time. His normally translucent skin actually had a pale pink tint and the dark circles under his eyes were still there, but they definitely looked lighter. He stood there for a long while until the water droplet and dried off his skin and his hair was a partially dried ball of frizz on top of his head. "I'm going to end it." He told himself as he quickly dressed himself in clean boxers and a white t-shirt. "I'm not going to let him get to me. I'm not going to…"

L exited the bathroom quickly when he heard a small and very familiar voice and was stopped dead in his tracks. Near was sitting in the middle of his bed with his knees held tightly to his chest. At first, it didn't look at all out of the ordinary until L saw something long, white, and fluffy in his right hand. His eyes then traveled up Near's small body to the top of his head where two white cat ears were situated. "Near…" His heart had kicked into overdrive seeing the little cat angel in his bed and he forgot all thoughts he ever had of ending things with Near flew out of his head. "A bit early for Halloween." He walked across the room slowly and sat down beside his companion.

Near's face colored the cutest shade of pink and he twirled a lock of hair around his finger. "Um... I-I… Matt took me shopping today and…" He bit at his bottom lip and his face distorted into something that almost looked like shame. "It's stupid. This wasn't a good-"

"What's this?" L's fingers reached out to touch the small collar around Near's neck and he took hold of the gold pendant on it. "Seems as though it has my name on it." He felt the warmth radiating off of Near's cheeks and he couldn't help the smug grin that come to his lips. He tangled his fingers in Near's hair and scratched just behind his faux ear. "Does that mean you belong to me?"

Near's eyes closed and he moaned a little, leaning into L's hand. "Yes," he said softly.

L traced his hand down the side of Near's face and watched the young boy nuzzle his face into his palm like a cat rubs against its owner as a sign of affection. Slowly, he traced his hand down the side of Near's neck and swiftly began to undo the first several buttons of his pajama shirt. His chest was heaving heavily and L could practically see his heart beating against his ribs. "Shhh…" he whispered as he slowly leaned forward and kissed the pale skin of his chest. "It's going to be alright. I'm not going to hurt you."

Near shook his head. "I know," he said breathlessly. "I trust you."

L finished with the buttons and slid Near's shirt off his slim shoulders, caressing the soft skin gently, making Near practically mewl in pleasure. His warm mouth left a trail of kisses down the center of Near's chest and continued down his abdomen, his tongue dipping in Near's navel and making the kitten yelp in pleasure. He was trembling in pleasure by the time L's hands came up to relieve him of the rest of his clothes. Once Near was completely naked, L leaned back to take a look at his pet.

Near was completely vulnerable to the wrath of L's intense gaze and he couldn't say that it didn't excite him. He was wearing nothing but his ears and tail now, his erection aching and throbbing almost unbearably. L's smoldering eyes were watching Near intently. One hand reached out and stroked Near's cheek sweetly. "You're such a good kitten."

Grinning, Near leaned forward and began nuzzling his head against L's chest, pawing him affectionately. Once he had successfully wormed his way into L's lap, he began to slowly kiss and lick the side of his neck as his hands took purchase of the bottom of his white t-shirt and he took a moment to lift the garment over the detective's head. Once he was bare chested, Near began to kiss his lover slowly, wrapping his arms around his neck so their chests were firmly pressed together.

In turn, L wrapped his arm around Near's slim waist and laid down flat on his back, situating the boy in his lap as they continued to kiss each other deeply and firmly. L took Near's hips in both of his hands and slowly began to grind the younger boy against his straining erection. He bit his lip and moaned as he watched Near's hand wrap around his own erection and began to pump himself slowly. L could see stars before his eyes and his whole body was a live wire. He had never in his life wanted something so much as he wanted the little cat boy in his lap right now.

Seeing his lover's immense pleasure, Near decided to make him feel even better. Squirming out of L's lap, Near quickly peeled down his boxers, allowing his cumbersome erection to spring free. Without wasting any time, Near wrapped his small hand around L's erection and licked the oozing pre-cum from his swollen head. A soon as Near's tongue touched L, he let out a throaty moan and his hips arched upward. Loving the sound of L's moans, Near decided to take L's head into his mouth and suck gently.

"Oh, God, Near!" L ran his fingers through Near's hair gently as his hips thrust upward, pushing more of his tumescent cock into the young boy's mouth. His mind was reeling as he felt the tip of Near's tongue teasing his throbbing erection. He had never felt something so amazing and he never wanted it to end, but he knew he wouldn't be able to keep his control much longer this way. "Near, baby, you have to stop." He took Near by the hand and pulled the boy up so he could kiss him slowly again. L took a moment to regain his composure before lying Near down on his back and positioning himself over him.

Near closed his eyes as he felt L's lips kissing his face and neck all over. His eyes opened when he left L shift and saw him reaching into his dresser drawer and come back with a small bottle of lube. He deposited some of the product into his hand and reached between them to cover his member before gently stroking his finger around Near's puckered entrance. The little kitten gasped and lifted his hips at the introduction of the cold liquid to his warmth and held his breath when he felt L applying pressure with his finger. He cried out and shut his eyes tight when he left the digit push past the tight ring of muscle and he held his breath as a dull pain wracked through his body.

"I'm sorry, baby," L whispered again his lips softly. "It will only hurt for a little while." He pushed his middle finger in to the second knuckle before adding another and slowly working his way in and out of Near's virgin opening. Once he was sure he had relaxed a bit, L removed his fingers and immediately pressed his mushroomed head against Near's opening and slowly pushed in, moaning as he felt Near's tight warmth swallow him up. Below him, Near was whimpering and squirming beneath him, his face twisted in a mix of pleasure and pain. In order to give him a break, L stopped pushing and leaned down to gently kiss Near's forehead for several long seconds. Soon, he heard desperate whimpers from his lover and he felt Near begin to hump his hips slowly under him. Sensing exactly what he wanted, L began to push the rest of his member into Near. Once he had every inch inside him, L began to slowly pump his hips into the boy.

As soon as L bottomed out inside him, an immense burst of pleasure went off inside Near and he cried out into the night. His heart was pounding and his own erection was throbbing relentlessly as L began to rhythmically thrust in and out of him. Unable to control any part of his body, Near was reduced to a sweaty, panting mess and he dug his fingers into L's arms leaving red marks where his nails bit into the skin. Each time L thrust into him, Near could feel his head hitting a hidden pleasure spot that sent his mind reeling.

In just a matter of minutes, both boys were moaning and panting helplessly. L's hips picked up speed and he was ramming into Near mercilessly as the younger boy cried out desperately. L could feel his impending orgasm building inside of him and he locked his elbows to support himself above Near. With one final thrust, L felt wave after wave of orgasm wrack through his body as he filled Near with his excitement. No sooner than Near felt himself being filled by L did his own member explode, spilling his own seed between the two of them.

There was a moment of calm bliss that settled between the two boys post-orgasm as they laid in each other's arms panting. When the stars finally disappeared from L's vision, he kissed Near softly, stroking his flushed cheek lovingly. Near smiled weakly, his eyes half lidded and his body reduced to nothing more than a limp doll. He accepted L's kisses lazily as a thick wave of exhaustion began to lull him to sleep. The boy tried to fight the sleep because he could hear L whispering something into his ear, but he was unsuccessful and was unconscious in a matter of seconds.


	10. Promises Made

**Author's Note:** _Here we are with another installment. I know many of you have been waiting on the edge of your seat for this one, and I am happy to have finally delivered it. As always, I am extremely grateful to those of you who follow this story. Your constant support is encouragement to keep writing. Don't forget to leave a review, or simply send me a quick PM. I always enjoy hearing how my story is being received by others. This chapter is a little different. Unfortunately, there is very little smut, but there is a lot more story progression. From here on, I will be doing an interesting mix of canon and AU story lines, but it won't be too confusing I promise. Never fear, we still have a few chapters to go and I have some more smutty tricks up my sleeve._

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**_~/~_**

"Matt, if you move one more fucking time I'm breaking your back." Mello's threats could barely be heard through his blocked nose and fits of coughing. Last night had been rough for both boys to say the least. Mello had left the living room the night before expecting to get in his hot boyfriend's pants only to find him miserably moaning on the bed. As much as Mello didn't want to admit it, his allergies from being out with L all day was the cause of his sickness. Apparently, this wasn't "manly" enough for the blonde and Matt got a firm kick in the crotch for pointing out the sickness. From there, it was a constant back and forth between Mello wanting his boyfriend's comfort and being highly annoyed by the fact that he was even breathing. Matt knew it was the sickness that was making Mello extra cranky, so he didn't take any of the death threats to heart.

Finally, after hours of cat naps interrupted by the snorting and coughing, Matt had decided to give up completely on getting any rest. When he thought Mello had nodded off again into a semi-unconscious state, he slipped out of the bed and went into the bathroom. No sooner than he started a hot bath did he hear Mello's voice. "Matt, what the hell are you doing?"

Matt calmly walked back into the bedroom and grabbed Mello by the arm, hoisting him up, much to the blonde's protest. When the boy was upright, albeit slightly wobbly, Matt pushed him towards the bathroom and voiced one command as he pointed to the filling tub. "Get in."

Mello practically growled in annoyance and, had he been in better health, he would have yelled and lashed out. "I don't want a fucking bath! I want to sleep!" He tried to push past Matt only to be stopped by a pair of hands grabbing the tail of his t-shirt and trying to hoist it over his head. "Mail Jeevas! Stop it!" He swatted at Matt's hands.

Without speaking another word, Matt pulled his own shirt over his head before dropping his boxers and getting into the tub. He made himself comfortable by leaning back against the cool tile wall and his emerald eyes looked up at Mello in complete seriousness. "In, now."

Mello stood for a moment, his eyes wandering over Matt's naked form. Despite his weak state, he could definitely feel a stirring in his nether regions. Damn him, he did this on purpose. Finally, with a huff, he stripped himself of his clothes quickly and stepped towards the tub. Once his foot touched the water, he yanked it back and let out a fierce hiss. "What the fuck?! Are you trying to boil me alive?"

Matt chuckled. "Stop being a baby, baby. Just get in the tub. It will help with your congestion."

With an annoyed grumble and a few more complaints about the water temperature, Mello settled himself into the tub, resting his back against Matt's chest. Already he could feel the steam from the water loosening the mucus in his chest and he could breathe easy. When Mello was comfortable, Matt leaned forward and shut off the taps before grabbing a rag and rubbing it in slow circuits over Mello's chest. Beneath him, he felt his boyfriend sigh and settle in closer to his chest. Matt grinned. "You should listen to me more often."

Mello nudged him in the ribs gently. "Shut up, asshole. When did you become such a mother?"

Matt bit his bottom lip, frowning a bit. "Well, when your own mother dies before you're even six years old, you kinda have to pick up where she left off."

Mello instantly felt bad for that stupid comment. Of course, everyone at Wammy's house were orphans, but that didn't mean that had all experienced the same circumstances. Mello, for example, never knew what it was like to have a parent. His father was a Mafia man who was stupid enough to get caught up owing a boss a lot of money and was "taken care of" and his mother, a young woman who had gotten swept off her feet by said Mafia man at only 16 years old, had died during child birth. From the moment Mihael Keehl was born, he was a ward of the government, shuffling around from orphanage to orphanage until Wammy found him. Matt, however, had a different experience. He had a mother and father until he was five. His mother, so he remembers, was a kind and beautiful woman, his father a low life drug addict. One night while his father was on a particularly bad heroine trip, his parents had gotten into a fight. Because of his father's violent nature, the fight led him to retrieve a gun from his dresser drawer and shoot Matt's mother in the middle of the living room floor while the child sat on the couch. In a fit of panic, the heroine addicted bastard then turned the gun on himself and blasted out his own brains. When the police got there, they had a gun, two dead bodies, and a blood soaked child sobbing over his mother's corpse. A few days later, Wammy brought him to the orphanage. Mello sighed. "I'm sorry, Mail. I can be a huge fucking asshole sometimes."

Matt shifted again to grab the removable shower head and turned on the hot water, soaking Mello's blonde tresses. "Don't be. That was over a decade ago." He ran his fingers through the wet hair making sure it was thoroughly soaked before dispensing a small amount of shampoo in his hand and beginning to work the viscous liquid through Mello's hair. His fingers worked through the mess of hair slowly, lightly massaging the boy's scalp.

Mello closed his eyes and moaned deeply at the feeling of Matt's hands and he found his muscles relaxing more than they had in years. "Mmm…" he felt the warm water from the shower head wash the suds away and he watched them float on top of the water.

When Matt was satisfied that all the shampoo was washed away, he shut off the water and replaced the shower head. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Mello's slender waist and pressed soft kisses to his shoulder.

Mello let out a sigh, allowing his wet hair to fall in front of his face like a veil. Feeling Matt's warm, wet body pressed so closely to him set him on edge. He could feel his body reacting to his mate, no matter how subtle the changes were now. Both of Matt's devilish hands flattened over Mello's abdomen and began a slow, determined decent downwards. When his fingertips were mere centimeters from the base of Mello's manhood, his hands split and his fingernails raked down the inside of Mello's quivering thighs before coming back up to rest on his hips.

In response, Mello let out a little whimper and pressed his ass firmly against Matt's crotch.

"It would appear," Matt whispered into his lover's ear as he rubbed the boy's smooth alabaster skin. "That someone is horny."

A shiver raced up Mello's spine at hearing Matt's seductive drawl and he leaned his head back against the boy's chest, moaning and gripping Matt's thighs that were on either side of his hips. "It's been too long," he said pathetically.

"Has it, Baby?" Matt teasingly traced the tip of his middle finger around the circumference of Mello's navel. "I make you ache, don't I?"

To say that Mihael Keehl was the submissive type would have been a dramatic understatement, but he did have to admit that having Matt's arms around him while he whispered seductive things into his ear was extremely erotic. "You make me hard as a rock, Matt. It's been too long since you've touched me."

He felt Matt's chest shake with a chuckle and his lips press to the patch of skin beneath his ear. The red head's hand slowly traced down Mello's abdomen and wrapped around his engorged member and pumped it slowly. A smug grin pulled Matt's lips back when he heard Mello moan and felt him squirm and buck his hips. He tightened his grip on the member he had grown intimately familiar with and mercilessly stroked it as his thumb rubbed circles on his glistening head. Mello's back arched and he reached back, grabbed a handful of the silky vermillion locks, and yanked hard.

"Oh…. Oh, fuck, Matt!" Mello moaned, his head falling back and nuzzling into the crook of his lover's neck. "God, yes, baby! Ungh that's so good!" His breathing was coming in sporadic pants and the fingers of his free hand dug into Matt's thigh. With every pump, Mello was racing closer and closer to his inevitable finish. He screwed his eyes closed and cried out as the ball of passion that had been forming in the pit of his stomach burst and he released rope after rope of his pleasure onto his abdomen before collapsing like a rag doll against Matt's frame.

Matt unhanded his boyfriend's now flaccid member and washed away the mess with the rag before wrapping his arms around Mello's waist and kissing the top of his head softly. Mello's breathing was soft and calm, signaling he was very near unconsciousness. Carefully, Matt stood up and exited the tub, tugging his sleepy and dripping wet boyfriend along with him. Matt snatched a bathrobe from the hook on the back of the door and dressed Mello in it. By this time, Mello was wobbling dangerously on his own two feet, threatening to topple over any second. The red head scooped up his boyfriend into his arms and carried him to the bed, tucking him in and placing a soft kiss on his forehead. No sooner than he got the boy into bed was Mello fast asleep. Matt smiled, stroking Mello's cheek gently, an action he would have never of been able to do had he been awake. After Mello was taken care of, Matt grabbed his pack of cigarettes and climbed out into the fire escape to enjoy a much needed smoke.

**~/~**

L laced his fingers slowly through the white tresses pressed against his chest for what was probably the hundredth time in the last six hours. Needless to say, Near has fallen asleep shortly after their shared encounter, but L didn't have the same luck. So here he was, holding the object of his affection to his chest as he watched the morning sun turn the sky a rich mix of pinks and oranges. Beneath him, he felt the young boy shift and roll over in the bed, pulling the duvet up to his chin and snuggling firmly into the pillow. L let out a small sigh. What the hell did he allow himself to get into? He was L, the World's Greatest Detective. The boy in his arms was supposed to be his successor not his lover. The children at Wammy's House were taught how to be great defenders of justice and they were, until they were brought here. Since coming here, the three most hopeful teenagers at the orphanage learned very little about being a detective and very much about sex. Worst of all, L was teaching these boys that it was acceptable for them to form affectionate relationships when he should have been doing just the opposite. This job was a dangerous one and something as fickle as love and lust only distracted from what had to be done.

There was a soft knock on the door then a voice. "L," It was Watari and L immediately sat straight up, but the door remained closed. "I need to speak with you in private."

L raised his thumb to his mouth. Watari knew, there was no doubt about it. Otherwise, he would have come into his room to talk to him like he had done countless times before. L wasn't sure if he should be worried or relieved that Watari knew of this situation. "I will be there in a moment, Watari," L said as he threw the blankets back and gathered his clothes off the floor, dressing as fast as he could. From the bed, he heard the rustling of blankets and Near moaning and yawning gently. It was still very early, so there was no need for the boy to be awake. L leaned over the bed and gingerly ran his fingers through his cherub's hair and kissed his lips softly. "I'll be right back," he whispered and Near nodded a bit before snuggling closer to his pillow.

L smiled gently at the sleeping figure before turning to leave, pausing at the door to gather himself for a moment. L was a professional. He wasn't going to face Watari with a blush on his cheeks and a stupid school-boy grin on his face. When he was 93% sure he had a hold on his emotions and his stoic mask was back on his face, he left his bedroom.

In the main living area, Watari was waiting with a folder in his hand and a worried look upon his wrinkled face. "L, we have been called to Japan."

L felt his heart speed up, but his face didn't move an inch. "Japan? What's the case?" So he could have to travel. That was no big deal, he did it all the time. He and Watari would go solve this case and be back in a couple of days. The boys would be fine here.

Watari handed L the folder. "There seems to be what the Japanese Police believe to be a serial killer on the loose." L opened the folder and looked over a list of names. He recognized many of the names of recent criminals. "That is a list of those who have been killed," Watari continued. "They are all known and recently convicted criminals and they all died of heart attacks. The Japanese Police has requested your assistance. It falls within your criteria."

L looked at the list for a long moment, his head already shifting into detective mode. "Pack a small bag. We will travel to Japan and meet with the police then return here to-"

"I do not think that is best." L's eyes shot up to meet Watari's and the old man was looking at his young companion with a look of sympathy mixed with sternness. "I believe it is time to send the boys back to Roger at the orphanage. We will go to Japan and set up a new headquarters." He placed a hand on L's shoulder. "Roger and I both feel that the boys have spent enough time here. This case needs your full and undivided attention."

"Spare me your dodging words," L said in his monotonic voice. "If you have something to say, say it out right."

Watari took a breath, thinking over his words in order to offend L as little as possible. "I know when you brought them here, you had good intentions. What has already transpired cannot be helped, so I will not speak of it. The future, however, I can have a say over. Roger is unhappy that we have allowed the relationship between Matt and Mello to deepen. He has yet to find out that Near shares your bed at night." L turned from Watari, chewing his thumb until it was close to bleeding. "I'm not going to tell him," the old man continued. "And I will never bring it up again if you agree to leave for Japan tonight and send the boys back to Roger." He stepped forward and his voice dropped. "You know emotional involvement is not a good-"

L lifted his hand. "I know," there was a moment where his voice showed a harsh bite, but that was quickly done away with. He was silent for a long moment. "Tonight," he said simply before returning to his bedroom.

There, the scene looked unchanged. Near snoozed on the bed, curled up with his fingers in his hair. At some point, his cat ears had fallen off of his head, but the tail was still firmly around his hips, attached with a belt that was covered in fur to match the tail. L though of climbing back into bed and rousing the faux feline, but his heart and mind were too troubled to allow that. A pang of sorrow hit his chest as the realization that he was leaving tonight just absorbed into his brain. He knew the chances that he would ever see Near again were less that 12% and the thought of that made a strange pain spread through his chest and made breathing harder. How would he tell this news to Near? Only a few hours ago, Near gave himself completely to L, placing every ounce of trust he had to the older man. Now, L was forced to tell him that he was leaving and they would possibly never see each other again. He knew from the start that getting involved with anyone was a risk, and now he was going to have to hurt the one person in the world he never hoped to give anything but happiness. He was naïve to ever think this would have ended well. Truthfully, he always knew in his brain that something like this wouldn't work, but his heart and emotions commanded he believe otherwise. He had to deal with this problem delicately. From the corner of his eye, he saw a puff of smoke pass by his window and knew what he had to do.

**~/~**

Matt sat on the fire escape taking long draws off his cigarette as he watched the city before him wake up. All around, lights were being illuminated and cars were beginning to crowd the streets. People below were slowly beginning to walk the sidewalk, going about their lives as they did every day of their miserable little existence. These were the people that the mighty L was challenged to protect. From here, they looked like nothing more than stupid ants running about their ant hill. Matt heard the window that led to L's room open swiftly and he could just see the outline of his "great mentor" climb out onto the fire escape. Matt took another drawn of the cigarette, idly wondering what the hell that weird boy wanted this time. Probably to lecture him about the danger of smoking.

"I am here to ask a favor of you," L said, not wasting any time on pleasantries.

Matt raised an eyebrow. L wanted something from him? This would be good. Matt flicked his cigarette and watched it fall to the street below until it could no longer be seen before turning to face the boy. He looked more awful than usual. The circles under his eyes were lighter than he had ever seen him, but his eyebrows were knit together in deep contemplation. "Is something wrong?"

"I am leaving for Japan tonight," Matt could tell L was working hard to contain his emotions, but something was raging inside him. "The three of you will go back to the orphanage and continue your lessons from there…" He looked down. "Without me."

Matt knit his eyebrows together. "You're leaving? Now? But why so suddenly?" Then something hit him and he left a white hot flash of anger and protection. "What about Near?" He noticed L flinch lightly at the mention of the boy's name. "Have you told him?"

"There has been a rash of murders in the country. I have been asked to take the case." With every word, L's voice was losing it's strength and Matt felt as if the boy would crumble at any moment.

Matt got up and stepped forward. "You can't just leave like that. What about Near? Can't you take him with you?"

"No. This should have never of happened. Something like this-"

"It doesn't matter what should or shouldn't have happened," Matt said angrily. All he could imagine was the pain he would feel if Mello ever told him he was leaving. Recently, he and Near had become close friends and Matt couldn't bear Near being hurt by this. After all, he had pushed the relationship between the two. He had given Near advice on how to seduce L instead of warning him of the dangers. Near would blame him in his grief. "Near loves you, L. He's all but admitted it to me. Why do you think he did what he did? For his own selfish gratification? Never. He did it because he has feelings-"

"And you assume I don't return these feelings?!" L's voice had risen louder than Matt had ever heard it and the sheer force of his grievous anger was enough to make Matt take a step back. He had never seen L show any emotion, much less an angry outburst. "You have your love. The two of you could actually have a life together. Once the two of you turn 18, there is nothing stopping you from leaving the orphanage and making a life with each other." He took a deep breath, his voice returning to its normal, calm tone. "Near and I will never have that choice. I will be The World's Greatest Detective until the day I die. I must always go wherever the crime is and keep the rest of the world safe from the most evil of criminals. When I am gone, Near will take my place. Roger and Watari will never free him, even if I live another 80 years. He will always be next in line to me."

Matt sighed, allowing L's words to settle into his heart and brain. He was, of course, right. Matt and Mello were the lucky ones in this situation. They would get the freedom they so craved in just over a year, but everything was not that simple for everyone. "What do you want me to do?"

A pain shone through L's obsidian eyes although his face did not reflect any of it. "I don't want Near here when I leave. I cannot-" His voice broke and he took a moment to gather himself. "I cannot have him here. This afternoon, you and Mello will take him out. I don't care what you tell him or what you plan, but show him a good time." He bit at his thumb. "Make him happy just for a few hours. While you are gone, your things will be taken back to the orphanage. The driver who picks the three of you up will return you home." L's eyebrows knit together and his breathing was shallow. "Mail, take care of him. Let him know that I did care for him." His voice softened. "Do not let any harm come to him."

Matt was nearly overtaken with emotion as he watched L speak. With every word, the boy was crumbling within himself. With every passing second, it looked as if the weight of the world was crushing this frail man. All he could think to himself was what he would do had the situation been reversed. If he ever had to leave his dear Mello, he would be absolutely certain that someone was there to take care of him. Finally, Matt nodded. "I promise you I will watch after him." The detective turned and just before he disappeared Matt added: "Just be sure he hears from your lips how you feel about him at least once before you leave."


	11. Goodbyes

**Author's Note:** _This was by far the most emotional chapter for me to write. There were numerous times that I had to stop because I couldn't tell what I was typing through the tears! Anyway, here it is: Chapter 11. This is officially the longest fanfic I have ever written, and we still have a several more chapters to go. I will go ahead and say there isn't any smut in this one, but it is huge for story development, so I hope all of you will read it and let me know what you think._

_I am oh so grateful for those of you who continue to read this story. I am honored that so many of you enjoy the stuff that comes from my crazy mind, and just love hearing from all of you! _

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**~/~**

Matt looked down at the last two cigarettes in the pack and sighed as he plucked one from its home and placed it between his lips, lighting it with the pistol shaped lighter Mello had gotten from a convenient store and passed it off as a present after he forgot Matt's sixteenth birthday. That was the first year that Mello had used his own money for a gift, and Matt actually was quite fond of the thing, and so was Mello. He would often find the boy pointing the lighter at someone he wasn't very fond of and pulling the trigger causing the blue fire to shoot out of the barrel. Luckily, it was a refillable lighter, because Matt knew he'd never be able to throw it away. He took a long draw off the cigarette, his mind working faster than it did when he played Legend of Zelda. He didn't like lying to Near, but he couldn't tell the boy the truth because he couldn't bear to see the pain in his eyes. What the fuck was he going to do? And how was Matt gonna keep a leash on Mello? There was no doubt the blonde was so eat up with envy that he damn near hated the albino, and Matt knew Mello would love nothing more than to tell him his lover was leaving him just to feel superior. Mello had a heart, but he also loved his revenge. Matt finished off his cigarette slowly, trying to figure out his plan of action, but before he knew it he had smoked the damn thing down to the filter. He sighed, flicking the filter over the railing of the fire escape and ducked back into his shared bedroom.

Mello was still lying in the bed, only now he was on his stomach, one arm hanging off the bed, his yellow hair splayed wildly across his face, and a small little snore coming from his mouth. Mello may have been one sexy piece of ass when he was awake, but he sure as hell wasn't a graceful sleeper. Every once in a while his leg would kick and his hand would come up to brush away stray hairs that were tickling his nose. Matt looked at his watch and noted that Mello had been asleep for nearly two hours now, but it was still fairly early in the morning. Matt crawled into bed, trying his hardest not to disturb his sleeping beauty. Mello must have felt the movement because he slowly rolled over until he was able to rest his head on Matt's chest and stretch his arm across his waist. "When'd you start smoking menthol?" The boy mumbled groggily.

Matt grinned, rubbing Mello's back slowly. "Since that was the only kind that shitty convenient store around the corner had in a decent brand." Matt usually didn't give a fuck about anything, but cigarettes weren't just anything. He wouldn't be caught dead paying the prices at some department store to get a shirt with a name brand, but paying seven dollars for a premium pack of smokes was nothing.

Mello hummed, rubbing his face against the soft material of Matt's shirt. Matt actually kinda liked sleepy Mello because he was a cuddler. Awake Mello thought cuddling was a stupid waste of time, but half-conscious Mello would snuggle all night, and any show of affection and tenderness from Mihael Keehl was a rare treasure worth holding onto. "I'll suck your dick if you go buy me a chocolate bar."

Matt laughed out loud this time. "You already suck my dick, Mel. You'll have to do better than that."

Mello sighed, crossing his arms over Matt's chest and propping his chin on them, his half-lidded eyes looking sleepily at the red head. "Fine," Mello joked, "I'll marry you, but you're gonna have to buy two chocolate bars."

Matt's eyes softened at the thought of Mello actually marrying him. He had a sudden vision of the two of them in some shitty apartment somewhere with hardly any furniture and a heater that only worked half the time. The two of them would barely have a pot to piss in, but they would be together forever with a legal document saying so. He smiled softly at his boyfriend. "What if I promise to buy you a whole chocolate cake when I take you to dinner tonight and all you have to do is behave, Mr. Jeevas."

Mello raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Jeevas? Hell no. You're my bitch, Mr. Keehl. And since when are you taking me to dinner?"

"Since now." Matt retorted. "But since I'm the bitch, you should be the one taking me." He bit at his bottom lip a bit. "And Near."

"WHAT?!" Mello shouted, ignoring Matt's pleads to shut up. "Why the fuck would I take that dickhead anywhere?"

Matt sighed, rubbing his temples. "L is leaving for Japan tonight," Matt said quickly, all in one breath. "And he wants you and I to take Near out. While we are gone, all our shit will be taken back to the orphanage and so will we."

Mello sat up, one eyebrow raised. "L wants us to take Near out so he won't have to explain to him that he fucked him and now he's leaving?"

Matt winced at Mello's harsh words. "Mel, L cares about Near." He saw Mello roll his eyes, but continued anyway. "Just like you care about me. He doesn't want to go, but he has to." Matt sat up. "Near isn't such a bad kid and L asked that we take care of him. He's going to be really hurt-"

"Nate River is not my problem," Mello crossed his arms. "I'm not going to babysit him while he cries like a teenaged girl as over a tub of ice cream and a Lifetime movie."

Matt sighed. "Please, Mello. I really got to know Near and he's just different, like you and me. How would you feel if Roger or Wammy sent me away to God-knows-where with the almost definite possibility that you would never see me again?" He saw something like anger and pain flash in Mello's clear blue eyes and he knew he was getting to him. "Mel, I really like the kid, and I don't want to see him get hurt. He's gonna really be crushed when he finds out L is gone, and I am really gonna need your help." He took Mello's hands in his, interlocking their fingers. "I'm not asking you to be the best of friends with him, I'm asking you to be kind."

Mello's thumb smoothed over the back of Matt's hand as he thought. If he were in Near's situation, he would go on an all-out killing spree until whatever bastard that had Matt gave him back, but he knew Near didn't work that way. The kid would close himself up like a clam, and it would take someone as kindhearted and persistent as Matt to keep him from drowning in his own grief. No matter how much he didn't care for the white haired little pest, he couldn't allow anyone to hurt that badly because he knew firsthand what pain was. After a long silence, Mello sighed. "Fine. What's your plan?"

**~/~**

L stood at his bedside looking down at the little angel that was snoozing quietly among the sheets. His heart felt as if it had gotten caught in a vice grip and a lump rose in his throat. He had hardly begun allowing himself to feel anything real for the boy, and now he was going to have to give it all up. In his head, he knew that he should have walked away that instance. The longer he stayed, the harder it was going to be to leave him, and he knew when the boy woke and looked at him with those big, innocent eyes, he would melt for him. For the first time in his life, L gave a big ole "fuck you" to his intellect and allowed his heart to make the decisions.

He removed his white shirt and jeans, electing to leave on his boxers, and climbed into the bed, pulling Near's naked form against his chest. The boy drew in a deep breath and shifted a bit, snuggling back against L some, but he never woke. L buried his nose in Near's white tresses and breathed in his clean scent, committing it to memory. His hand came up to finger the collar still around his neck and studied the tiny gold pendant. Suddenly, L unlatched the collar and quickly put it into his bedside drawer. He was determined to take some part of Near with him to Japan. His hand slid down Near's abdomen and unlatched the belt that was holding the cat tail in place and removed the accessory. He wanted to have one intimate moment with Near where the boy was nothing more than himself. L moved his lips to Near's ear and whispered into it softly: "It's time to wake up."

Near stirred in his sleep, nuzzling his head into his pillow and pulling the blanket tightly around him. "…time is it?" he murmured gently.

"I don't know," L lied. He actually knew precisely what time it was, but the truth was he didn't care. The world could wait. He was with Near. "I want you to wake up."

Near nodded, rolling over on his back, his grey eyes blinking rapidly as he reached up with one hand and rubbed them. He looked around the room a bit, his brain still trying to make sense of his surroundings. Suddenly, his cognitive processes kicked back in and his body went slightly rigid as he slowly began to realize facts one after another:

1\. He was in L's room, which wasn't that much of a shock anymore.

2\. He was completely naked under the duvet, which was a shock.

3\. He and L had made love last night.

His cheeks turned red, and he turned his face away from L. He knew the morning after would be awkward, but he had no idea just how awkward he would feel. L, however, was having none of it. He leaned over and turned Near's face back to him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. The kiss was short and sweet, but Near could feel all his compassion behind it and it made his pulse quicken. He wanted to keep kissing L, and maybe do something more, but he was too embarrassed to admit that his hormones were nagging at him.

"How did you sleep?" L whispered against his lips.

"Well, thank you," Near replied formally. "And yourself?"

L chuckled, the sound odd coming from the detective, but very nice. "Are you in any pain?"

"Pain?" Near's eyebrows knit together. "Why would I be- Oh…" His brain kicked in. Because you had sex for the fist time a few hours ago, Near, he thought to himself. Pain is to be expected. He thought about it for a moment. "No, none that is of any consequence."

L nodded, pushing Near's hair away from his face, his thumb stroked Near's cheek gently. He loved how soft he felt under his fingertips… L leaned forward and kissed the cherub gently, savoring his sweet taste of his plump lips. He felt Near's body shudder slightly and he sighed, spreading his lips in a silent invitation for L to take his mouth. The older detective almost smirked; Near was eager and willing. The raven haired man slid his tongue slowly into Near's mouth, sliding it slowly against his cheek. The angel moaned softly, his arms curling around L's shoulders as he felt the man's arm encircle his waist and pull his closer to his bare chest. The feeling of their skin pressed together sparked images in Near's mind of the night before and he felt his cheeks flush and something in his loins tighten.

L pulled away from the kiss, taking in Near's half-lidded gaze and his wet, swollen lips. This was the memory he wanted. He always wanted Near in his bed, panting and aroused, accepting of his love. Unfortunately, L had only had that pleasure once and he would only ever have the opportunity to have it once more. But first, he had to say the things that were weighing heavily on his heart.

"Near," he said softly to his companion. "I need to speak with you."

Near perked up, his eyebrows knitting together. Something was wrong with L, he could see it in his face. The little albino extricated himself from the older man's grasp and pulled his knees to his chest, making sure the plush duvet covered as much of his nakedness as possible. "Speak," he said softly.

_Tell him_, L's heart commanded him. _Tell him the truth. He has to know that you are leaving. You cannot do this to him._ But he knew that he would never be able to do such a thing. He was far too much of a coward to speak the words that would break the heart of the beautiful creature sitting before him. He knew well that the pain he would eventually cause him with his silence would be much greater, but L, at lease, wouldn't witness it with his own eyes. He was suddenly very disgusted with himself. He was keeping information from someone he claims to have rare feelings for just to save himself heartache. But he wasn't really saving himself anything. He knew full well that he would suffer many sleepless nights ridden with longing and guilt in the near future until he absolutely forced himself to purge his brain of any and all occurrences between him and the boy.

He took a breath, trying his best to keep that defensive stone mask from slipping unto his face and safe guarding his emotions. "Nate," he said the boy's true name, noticing the way his back straightened in the softness at that moment. "Last night we had intercourse," he said somewhat flatly.

Near's eyebrow twitched up slightly in both confusion and disappointment. Was that really what the man had to say to him? "Yes, L," he said just as flatly. "It seems I have been able to recover 90% of the memories of the previous few hours that were slightly cloudy from REM sleep."

L pursed his lips, bringing his thumb to his mouth. 'Damn it all to hell,' he thought. 'I am one of the smartest living human beings on the planet and I cannot put together the words needed to express these emotions.' There was a moment of silence that stretched between then and Near waited somewhat patiently for what was to come. "I do not wish for you to think that last night was just intercourse. For me, at least, it was much more. I'm aware that I previously stated that I tried to split my care and attention between you and Mello equally, but that isn't true. You hold a special and somewhat higher place in my heart, Nate." His obsidian eyes went soft and something that was relative to a forlorn grin played on his lips. "I wanted you to know that I do care for you."

Near listened to his words silently, his mind torturing him every step of the way. There was a reason L was telling him now, like this. Just moments ago they were sharing a lover's exchange, and should now be in the thwarts of passion. An icy tendril crept up in his brain that suggested a dreaded explanation. L was leaving, and soon. Otherwise, he wouldn't make a point of professing his feelings. He would naturally assume that Near knew them. His heart skipped a beat in his chest and he felt his blood run cold, but he didn't let his panic show on his face. He would play dumb for the time being. "If we were to study the whole situation, you would see that not only did I accept your advances, but I made a few of my own. I believe the desire was mutual. And as unnecessary as it may be for me to say it, I care for you as well. Strongly." He reached out a small hand and laid it on top of the one L had pressed against the mattress for support.

The older man turned his palm and curled his fingers around Near's hand, grasping it tightly. He looked at their joined appendages, pale skin soft against even paler skin. The memories of last night were torturing him. He could still smell Near's wonderful, clean scent and feel his heat when he slid inside him for the first time. The way he writhed and moaned when L took the last part of his innocence he had left made him shudder. To Near, L wasn't just another name on a long list of lovers, he was the first name on a list he knew would be fairly short. Had he been more like Mello, Near would think nothing of it when he discovered the awful truth. He would brush himself off, put on a hard grimace, and move on to the next target. Hopefully, Matt would keep his promise and some of Mello would rub off on the sweet angel. In time, he would push away the thoughts of what happened here, and never revisit them again. L leaned forward and kissed Near's lips chastely, savoring his taste for what he figured would be the last time. "I'm glad it's mutual," he whispered against his lips softly. He slid out of the bed, going over to his dresser for a fresh pair of jeans and a crisp white t-shirt. When he was dressed, he turned back to Near. "I'm afraid the others are up, Love," his heart ached a bit using the endearment. "However, there are fresh clothes for you in the bathroom. Feel free to shower." Near nodded at him silently and L turned away and left the room.

Outside, Matt was sitting at L's desk typing away on his computer as Mello leaned against the same desk, his arms folded across his chest. When he saw L, his scowl deepened. "Look who it is," he said harshly.

"Mello," Matt scolded just as harshly, and L actually raised an eyebrow. He had never seen Matt speak out against Mello. The way he understood it, Mello was the master and Matt the mutt. Maybe he was mistaken because Mello actually squared his jaw and looked away.

L walked over to the red head. "I assume you are making copies of all of my case files." He wasn't cross at the teen, in fact he expected it.

Matt nodded. "If this Japan case is so important, I'm going to keep tabs on it. Since I know you won't-," he checked himself- "Can't keep us updated, I'll get as much information as I can from you and get the rest on my own as it becomes available."

L heard Mello scoff but he chose to ignore the blonde. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny new bank card. He placed the thing on the desk and slid it to Matt, who raised an eyebrow. "This is for the three of you," he said gently. "Of course, my successor will inherit every cent L has to his name, but this is for now. There's enough on here to buy as many cigarettes, chocolate bars, and toys to satisfy you all for two lifetimes."

Matt's eyes softened at the gesture as he slid the card in his pocket. If he couldn't be here to love Near, he was going to see to it that he was well taken care of and maybe even spoiled a bit. He nodded, knowing that L didn't want to speak of it. He heard Mello take in a breath to speak, but a harsh glance from his emerald eyes shut him up quickly. "Thank you, L," Matt said. "For everything."

L nodded. "I have preparations to make with Watari," he said as he turned and walked away. Matt was fairly sure that was the last time he would lay eyes on L Lawliet.

**~/~**

Near took his time buttoning his shirt, his fingers deftly moving to do the actions as his mind was somewhere else entirely. All he could see was that awful, pained look on L's face. Something was wrong, Near was almost positive of that, but L had not admitted it. What could that mean? He took a breath, deciding that one could only take so long to dress and left the bathroom, his hand lingering on the bedroom doorknob for a moment. When he walked out of that door, it would be painfully obvious what had transpired last night. Although, Matt already had a highly specific idea and he had no doubt shared that information with Mello. His main worry was how much pestering and teasing the duo would give him for it. 'Oh well,' he thought to himself. 'The sooner they start, the sooner they get bored and stop.'

No sooner than he opened the door and stepped out did he feel a hand tousling his hair and he heard Matt's voice in his ear. "Near!" He said jovially. "Are you ready to go?"

The albino swatted at his friend in annoyance. "Go? What are you talking about?"

He saw Mello step forward, his arms folded across his chest and his face in its constant state of aggravation. "Matt wants to take you to dinner. To celebrate your defloration."

Near's face went scarlet and he twisted his hair around his finger. "Mello, do you always have to be so crass?"

"Yes," the blonde said simply.

"I do not wish to go to dinner," Near replied.

"It's not a request," Mello countered. "You will be grateful for once in your miserable-"

"Mello!" Both of Matt's hands were balled into fists and he was glaring daggers at his lover. Immediately, Mello pursed his lips and looked away, clearing his throat. Matt took a deep breath and trend to face Near. "We are going out. The three of us have only seen the outside once since we got here."

Near sighed, knowing better than to argue. When Mail Jeevas made up his mind, there was no changing it. And it seemed as if he had made up his mind about today.

**~/~**

To say that Matt was ill prepared for this day out would have been a tremendous lie. The boy had planned out an entire itinerary in only the short amount of time he even knew about this outing. At first, Mello and Near had complained –amazed that they had agreed on something for once- when Matt explained everything they were going to do as they rode in the back seat of the ridiculous limo L had gotten for them. All the complaining did was earn Mello yet another glare and Near a reprimand about never having any fun. It was true, Matt was not one to be swayed.

The dinner at the fancy restaurant had been the most ridiculous and odd thing the three boys had ever experienced. Matt had done some research and discovered the most expensive and prestigious restaurant in the area and commanded the driver to take them there. Then, he walked in with his head held high as if he were the only son of Bill Gates and demanded a table. The maître d' had scoffed, looking down his big nose at the three boys, his old eyes casting harsh judgment without him saying a word. And why shouldn't he? Matt was dressed in his black and white striped shirt with those stupid goggles perched atop his head, Mello was in his leather vest, gloves, and pants appearing like a biker, or maybe a Chippendale dancer who was supposed to look like a biker, and Near was clad in his white button down and pajama pants. They three of them definitely didn't look like they belonged in a place like this. Matt, however, looked absolutely unperturbed. He simply pulled a bank card from his back pocket, laid it down on the podium, and revisited his request to be seated. The old man took the card and left for a moment, but when he returned he was an all-new man. He called all of them "sir" and bowed, offering his sincerest of apologies as he led them to a table. For the next couple of hours, the boys dined on the best –and only- French cuisine that they ever had. And, as promised, Matt ordered a chocolate lava cake for dessert, only making a few jokes about the upcoming wedding that would come from it.

After dinner Matt planned on taking them to a movie, but any old theater wasn't good enough. He had them taken to the largest theater in town that was showing the latest horror flick. Instead of buying tickets at the box office like a normal person, Matt requested a visit with the manager of the theater and came back twenty minutes later with news that he had bought out the IMAX screening room and had requested that the latest sci-fi horror movie was to be played. Before they knew it, the three of them were alone in the dark theater with the seventy plus foot tall screen, giant tubs of popcorn, and a movie that wasn't even set to release for several more days. It was funny what money could buy. Although horror films weren't Near's style, he sat several rows in front of his companions and tried to concentrate on the thin plot and fake gore instead of the moans and curses he was beginning to hear behind him.

Finally, the three of them were sitting on a bench at the boardwalk munching on chocolate covered Oreos and cotton candy as they watched the golden summer sun sink below the ocean's surface. Near pulled his knees to his chest, watching the rays bounce and sparkle off the water. Every once in a while, Mello would pinch off a section of Matt's blue and pink cotton candy and hand it to the albino silently while he munched on his chocolate confection. Matt couldn't help but grin at the sight. Sure, Mello had been a sour puss when they left the suite, but it wasn't long before he saw him start to calm down and even warm up to Near. Half way through dinner, the two actually had a conversation that didn't end in an argument and by the time they got to the movie theater they were chatting and picking fun at one another like old friends. There had been a change in Near as well. The normally closed up and unimpressed boy was smiling with genuine happiness and the forlorn expression in his eyes was replaced with something that looked like contentment. Matt tried not to think that every minute that ticked by meant they were getting closer and closer to the event he had no doubt would all but break the boy. And how would he treat Matt and Mello after that? He would surely figure out that they both knew what was going on and had conspired with L and lied to him. Would he even be able to look at them? Would Matt even expect him too? And if he did shut down, how would the red head keep his promise? He wasn't at all worried about breaking a deal with L Lawliet, but he was very worried about the well-being of someone that he was now close too. He knew Near would close up on himself, and if he hated Matt, how would he help Near through his pain?

Mello sat quietly between his two friends. Christ, how much had changed since this morning? He was calling Near his friend. That was one for the history books. On one side, he had a little white haired kid who was staring at the ocean, his mind a million miles away, but his eyes clear and seeming to be free of any grief. So far. On the other was his fiery boyfriend with a heart that was three times too big for his own good. He was also in deep contemplation, but his eyebrows were knit together and his soft eyes were clouded with a sadness and worry that Mello didn't want to see. He was worrying over Near, that was obvious. Mello licked away the chocolate remnant from his fingers before standing up and clapping them together, causing both boys to jump and refocus their attention on him. "We didn't come all the way out here to just sit on our asses. Come on," he grabbed Matt's hand and yanked him to his feet before interlocking their fingers. "It's a carnival for fuck's sake! We should be having fun."

Near peered down the boardwalk at the large masses of people and shook his head, hugging his knees. "There are an excessive amount of people at this event. I prefer to stay here."

"Oh, no you don't, Kid." Matt handed Near his half eaten cotton candy before grabbing him by his frail arm and hoisting him up. "You are going to have a good time."

The three of them walked down the boardwalk, Near staying right at Matt's heels the entire time. Both of them knew the boy suffered from a slight case of enochlophobia, but he was usually able to control himself as long as there was a familiar face within arm's reach. And Near made it his mission to make sure Matt was no more than a few inches away at all times. Actually, it was rather cute, and Matt would smile to himself whenever he would feel Near grab at his shirt when they passed a particularly large group of people. Honestly, Matt never was a big fan of things like this. The rides were often mediocre at best and the games were rigged so they were virtually impossible, but he did love the smell of the salt water and just being in public for a change. They walked around the carnival for a long while, sometimes stopping to watch a performer eat fire or swallow a sword or listen to someone sing a song as they strummed their guitar, a tip jar at their feet.

After a few minutes, Near seemed to calm down significantly and now he was even walking several feet in front of Matt and Mello, his grey eyes large as he took in the sights around him. Unlike the couple, Near had never lived outside the walls of Wammy's. From what little Watari or Roger would ever say, Near's parents had been mutual acquaintances of Watari. After his father died, the old man had promised to watch after his wife and unborn child. When the mother had died in childbirth, Watari didn't hesitate in bringing Near to Wammy's House and raising him. Of course, there were many rumors that suggested a lot of different conspiracies. One said that Near was actually Watari's grandson, only child of his son. But no one actually knew if Watari had any blood children. The more famous and accepted was that Near's parents had both been some of the first children at Wammy's House. It was whispered that they had fallen in love at a very young age, the girl got pregnant just after entering adolescence, and produced the first and only known progeny of two Wammy geniuses. If that were the case, his intellect and the reason that he was often preferred over everyone else at the orphanage was obvious. There were those that suggested that Near was a planned experiment. Wanting to ensure the line of succession, Watari and Roger had forced two of the orphans to procreate as soon as it was possible in order to produce a "pure bred" genius. It was said that even though L was only a small child at the time, Watari knew his genius would be used for detective work and there would be a need for a successor and he wasn't satisfied with any of his current prospects, so he had one made. If that were the case, this whole "succession race" was a sham and the attraction L had for Near was more understandable. In his eyes, Near was created for him and so the boy belonged to him. Near knew all of these stories, of course. He grew up hearing all of them, and no one knew what he actually believed. He had asked Watari once, but the man had offered him no explanation. Most people chose to not believe that the two men could do something like that, but no one ever ruled it out completely. Honestly, Matt thought that Near believed, maybe even preferred, the version of the story that made him an experiment. Maybe he wanted to belong to someone, and in his mind his relations with L were simply his way of fulfilling some sort of duty he had for the boy and L accepted so easily because he saw it the same way. There were only two people on this earth who knew the truth, and neither of them were talking. Regardless of when or how his birth came to pass, Near was taken to the orphanage when he was just a few days old and until just recently had never left those walls. Little did he know he would soon be back there until the day he was to take L's place.

Matt's wandering thoughts were cut short when he ran into Near who had planted his feet and was staring at a toy train set that hung on the wall at a game booth. "I want it," he stated very matter-of-factly before turning to Matt. "My hand eye coordination is awful, but yours is above average. Win it for me." That was a statement, not a question.

Matt looked over the game. It was a standard shooting game. The object was to use the toy pistol to hit little targets that rolled across the back wall. Matt shook his head. "Kid, I may have skills, but shooting isn't one of them. I would spend a million dollars and still not hit one of those round little shits."

Near pursed his lips, thinking. He then turned his grey eyes onto Mello.

The blonde realized what he was going to do the second Near decided. "Don't look at me. I'm not wasting good money on that. It's rigged anyway. We will just go to a toy store and buy you a stupid train set."

Near raised an eyebrow. "Are you scared to be shown up by a carnival game for children, Mello?"

Matt couldn't help but chuckle at the two of them. Near really was a genius. He knew Mello well enough to realize that challenging his pride was the fastest way to get whatever he wanted from him. As expected, Mello narrowed his eyes at Near before holding out his hand to Matt for a dollar and walking over to the booth.

The carnival worker loaded the toy gun and laid it down in front of Mello before snatching the dollar and stuffing it in her apron. "Three shots. Hit the bulls eye and get a prize," she said with disinterest and examined her nails.

"How many bulls' eyes will get me that stupid train set?" Mello pointed to the object of Near's affections.

The girl glanced back before answering. "Three." She hit a button and a bell rang as rows of targets started moving on the wall. Mello took his stance and pulled the trigger three times, each one missing the targets completely. The girl hit the button again as she popped her gum and the targets stopped. "Better luck next time."

Mello rolled his eyes. "This is a piece of shit!" He looked over the plastic firearm. "It doesn't aim worth a damn." He casually broke off the little orange bead sight on the barrel and tossed it over his shoulder, ignoring the protest from the girl. He requested another dollar from Matt and slammed it down on the table. "Reload it and push the button."

The girl rolled her eyes and snatched the gun, loading it and handing it back to Mello before starting the game again. This time, Mello took his time, finding his balance and staring down the barrel for a long moment, lining up his shots. After what seemed like an eternity, he pulled the trigger three times and the lights around the board went crazy, bells and music playing. The girl's eyes widened as Mello smiled in triumph as she retrieved the train set and handed it to the blonde.

Mello turned on his heel, smirking proudly, and handed the set to Near, who clutched the sizeable box to his chest. "Thank you, Mello." He said genuinely. "I knew you would figure out how to best the cheaters."

Mello rolled his eyes, but a smile that was true happiness broke out across his face. "Whatever, Near. Now you can't say the only thing I ever gave you was a hard time."

Matt was beaming from their little exchange. He had never thought it would have been possible for Mello to allow himself to be friendly with someone else, especially not Near, but his boyfriend was pleasantly surprising him. Near walked on ahead of them and Mello caught that stupid grin that was splitting Matt's face. "Matt, don't you fucking say it," he warned, a smile still playing on his lips.

Matt laughed, taking Mello's hand and walking along behind Near. "Don't say what? I told you so? Near isn't such a bag guy? You are capable of being nice to people?"

Mello poked the ticklish Matt in the ribs playfully. "Shut the fuck up! I am nice. I let you play top the other night when you had little Mr. Voyeur up there watch us." He smirked. "I will admit the chocolate sauce was a creative and much appreciated addition."

Matt's eyes nearly bugged out of his head and his cheeks colored red. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew, dumbass!" He shook his head. "You really think I would let you fuck me if it weren't a special occasion?" Another grin pulled up his lips. "It was kinda hot, actually. Knowing someone was watching. Like I was putting on a show or something."

Matt chuckled. "Well, if that's what it takes to make you ride me like that, I should plan special occasions a lot more often."

**~/~**

Matt chewed on his bottom lip until he was expecting to taste blood. The back of the limo was completely silent, and the windows were again blacked out, so there was no way to tell where they were. Not too long after they had gotten into the limo, Near had fallen asleep. Both Matt and Mello knew it was because of the sleeping pill that had been slipped into the bottle of water offered to the boys by the driver. L had known Near would question how long the return trip was taking and figure out what was going on. The fact that he was trying to prolong Near's pain as much as he could was almost touching. Almost.

Beside him, Matt felt Mello's hand on his knee and he vaguely heard his words through the fog in his brain. "Worrying isn't going to help anything. We all knew that place was temporary."

"That's easy for us to say," Matt whispered. "We are going back together. Near will be alone." His eyes welled with tears for the boy and he blinked them away quickly, trying to hide them from Mello.

He failed. The blonde touched his cheek softly. "He's not alone. He has us." He interlocked his fingers with Matt's and squeezed his hand hard. "I'm going to help you take care of him. He's going to hurt like hell for a while, but all pain is temporary."

Matt nodded, his eyes studying the black carpeted floor of the limo. The next few days were going to be the hardest he had ever been through, and he knew it was going to be a hundred times worse for the sleeping boy next to him.

**~/~**

Near woke with a bit of a start when he felt the limo wasn't moving anymore. Until that moment, he hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep. It really was a curious thing; he hadn't even been the least bit tired when they left the beach. He stretched, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The first thing he noticed was he was alone in the limo. Mello and Matt must have already gotten out. Near grabbed up his train set and exited the limo.

The first thing he noticed when the door opened was that Matt and Mello were standing hear the limo talking with Roger. This was curious because Roger wasn't even supposed to be at the suite. That was when the horrible truth hit him and his blood ran cold. His eyes traveled past the trio and he looked over the same old walls that had housed him since birth. He felt his heart sink to his stomach as he realized that his biggest fear had, in fact, been a reality all along.

Three pairs of eyes looked over at him, but he wouldn't make contact with any of them. The emerald pair welled with tears and closed, the blue pair dropped contact and fell to the ground, and the old pair were unwavering and even a bit harsh.

"Welcome home, Near. Your things have been put back in your room just as you like them." Roger said as if everything was perfectly normal.

Near's heart was beating rapidly and he could feel it break with every thump. His breath caught in his throat and he could feel the heat of anguish and anger rising in his cheeks. Instead of allowing anyone the satisfaction of knowing that he was in pain, he turned himself to stone, uncaring and unfeeling. His grey eyes found Mello's and he spoke a harsh command as if nothing in the past few hours had happened between them. "Tell me the truth."

"He's gone," Mello said, knowing that no sympathy or pity would be welcomed from the boy. He had already closed himself off. "He left for a case in Japan."

"And you knew, Matt." Near said, the intensity in his eyes reflecting his rage.

Those painful emerald eyes opened again and Matt was devastated to see just how quickly things had reversed with Near. He no longer looked at him like a friend, but like someone who knew they were the more superior. "Yes," he choked. "He asked me to take you away so he wouldn't have to tell you himself."

"He is weak," Near's voice was angry and harsh. "And so are you." Matt's eyes fell again and Near noticed Mello stiffen defensively. Near spoke to him next. "I never meant any more to any of you than this stupid toy meant to that carnival worker." He threw the box down onto the pavement, hoping it broke into a million pieces as he walked past the group and into the orphanage.

Most say that coming home after being away for a long period of time felt wonderful, but Near would never know that feeling. Despite being here all his life, the walls of this place had never meant anything to him. He didn't have a home, and now they made him feel even more like an outsider. He had stupidly allowed himself to believe that he had found somewhere and someone he could feel at home with, but that was just a fool's lie. The truth was no one wanted the boy for any longer than it took for him to serve their purposes, then he was thrown back in here until he was needed again. And that is how he would be doomed to live out his life. Alone, unwanted, and at the service of everyone else.

He walked down the halls mechanically, knowing every square inch by heart. He reached his room and found it just as it was before he had left. Not a single thing was out of place. He slammed the door, all thoughts of manners gone, and climbed into his small, cozy bed, violently tossing all of the stuffed animals to the floor. When the bed was bare save for his pillow and blanket, the metaphorical dam that he had been using to hold back all of his emotions sprung a leak. At first, the tears were silent and fell one by one from each eye, dripping off his chin and unto the pillow. Seeing the wet droplets on his pillow caused that dam to burst and harsh sobs wracked his chest hard as a torrent of tears fell down his face. He hadn't cried in years, so there was plenty on reserve for this very occasion. He buried his face into his pillow as the agony washed over him and his breathing came in hyperventilating gasps. He allowed himself to lose all self-control over his body, allowing the grieving process to take its course. Near was finally experiencing his first heart break, and no amount of intellect or logical thinking could put the pieces back together.


	12. Putting Back the Pieces

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action._

**~/~**

"…and these are just a few examples of the different types of psychological disorders." The old teacher prattled on and on, hopes of him shutting up soon were slim to none. "When interrogating suspects, it is important to be able to recognize these types of disorders. When you can identify weakness in suspects, these weaknesses can be used to…"

Matt sighed, running his hands through his hair and laying his head down on his desk. Next to him, Mello shifted in his seat and popped a square of chocolate off the bar and placed it in his mouth, sucking on it slowly. His blue eyes looked lazily around the room before meeting with the emerald ones that were watching him intently. Mello smirked, making a huge show of licking the melted chocolate from his fingers by rolling his tongue suggestively around the tip of his index finger. Matt moaned miserably, burying his face in his folded arms.

The boys had been back at Wammy's House for just over a week, and Roger had made sure the two of them spent as little time together as possible. The only time they were ever together was during class or when they went to the common room for free time. Unfortunately, there were always a ton of other kids, most of them fairly young, so the couple were forced to act like the normal friends they had been for most of their lives. What made it so bad was they didn't even get to spend nights together. Both of them were back in their original rooms with their original roommates. They hadn't been able to touch each other in what seemed like forever, and that made it so much worse. Matt had reverted back into a newly pubescent teenager, locking himself in his bathroom at least twice a day to jerk himself off just so he could have come sort of release. It was absolute torture.

Another thing that bothered Matt was the fact that he hadn't seen Near since they got back. Officially, Near was down with the flu. All his meals and lessons were given in his room. Only Roger, Matt, and Mello knew the real reason the boy stayed locked behind his door. Every day, Matt was getting more and more worried about the boy. He could only imagine how bad Near was at this point, and Roger was doing nothing to help him as far as Matt was concerned.

There was a knock at the classroom door and Roger entered, causing a silence to spread across the room as all the students turned their undivided attention to the old man. He pushed his classes up his big nose before speaking directly to the teacher. "I need to see Matt and Mello in my office now." Without hesitation, he turned on his heel and left the classroom as all eyes in the room turned to the pair in the back.

The boys looked at each other before rising from their seats and leaving the classroom. "What did we do?" Matt asked his boyfriend as they walked down the hallway towards Roger's office.

Mello shrugged. "I'm sure Roger will find something to blame us for." They reached the large wooden door and walked in.

The old man was sitting at his desk with his hands folded on the top. He had a sour expression on his face as he commanded the boys to take a seat. They did as he asked quietly, not wanting to spark his temper. Roger was known to have very little patience when it came to children, which was highly ironic considering his job. He wasted no time in telling the boys just what he wanted. "It has been ten days since you three returned home and Near still refuses to leave his room. I believe if anyone is to get him back to his normal self, it would be you two."

Mello raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. "So you're saying you need up to get your prodigal son out of his room?"

Roger nodded. "Precisely."

Mello shrugged. "If you want something from us, you will have to give us something in return." Both Matt's and Roger's eyebrows rose and they looked at the blonde in surprise.

"Is that how is seems to you, Mello?" Roger leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "What is it that you want?"

"Move us into the same room," Mello demanded.

"Absolutely not," Roger said harshly. "I do not condone that sort of behavior."

"It's not just for the sex," Matt piped up. "If you want us to help Near, we are going to have to be alone with him. There is no way he will be comfortable talking with us about anything that happened in that suite if our roommates are around." His eyes went soft and he looked down. "He trusted us at one time. It is going to take some work for us to get that trust back."

Roger let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose before raising his glasses to rub his eyes. It was obvious that he was struggling with himself. He could see the logic in what Matt said, but he didn't want to give the boys the satisfaction of getting their way. After several long seconds, the man finally gave in. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "You two are excused from class for the rest of the day. I believe it would be an easier transition if you two were to move into Matt's room. His current roommate is fairly new to this establishment and would put up less of an argument about switching versus the boy that stays with Mello. Both of you will not only move all of Mello's things, but also Matt's current roommates things. If there is anything destroyed or missing, you two will be held accountable."

**~/~**

"Why the fuck do you have so much shit, Mel?" Matt panted as he dropped the last arm full of Mello's clothes unto one of the two double beds in the room.

"The least you could do would be put them in the fucking closet!" Mello set down a box and wiped the hair away that was plastered to his forehead with sweat. "You know Roger hates mess, and he is going to be looking for any excuse to split us up again."

Matt huffed out a sigh, stretching his sore limbs. "I just hauled all your shit here. The least you could do would be to put it away."

Mello shrugged. "It's your room. I don't know where you keep stuff."

Matt grinned, shaking his head. "It's our room, Mel."

Mello smirked back at him. "You're right," he purred. "It is our room." He kicked the door closed and locked it. "First thing we need to do is fix this bed situation." There was no way in hell he was going to sleep in a separate bed from Matt, and a double bed simply was not enough room. He tossed all of his clothes onto the floor, not giving two fucks about them at that point. With a fair amount of effort and absolutely zero help from Matt, Mello pushed the beds together, making one bed that was somewhat acceptable. The blonde sighed, plopping down in exhaustion. "Thanks for all your help, asshole."

Matt, who up until then was studying something very interesting on the floor, snapped back into reality, his eyes coming back into focus. "Huh? Oh… Yeah. Good idea."

Mello knit his eyebrows together. "Matt, what's the matter?"

The redhead took a deep breath before faking a large smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Nothing. Everything is perfect." He placed a small, chaste kiss on Mello's lips before turning and gathering up the clothes that were scattered across the floor.

Mello sighed, rubbing his chin. Jesus, he loved that redhead, but he really hated when he made him say serious things. "If you're this worried, why don't you go talk to him?"

Matt stopped what he was doing, his head falling and he stayed silent.

Mello got up and crossed the room, wrapping his arms around Matt's waist and pressing his chin to his shoulder. "Mail, he didn't mean the things he said," Mello whispered in his ear. "He was hurt. He still cares about you."

**~/~**

Matt let out a long breath, leaning back against Mello for a moment. "You're right," he said finally as he extricated himself from Mello's arms. "I'll make him trust me again."

Matt took a moment to gather his thoughts as he stood outside Near's bedroom door. He had been standing here for nearly five minutes, his nerve leaving him every time his arm rose to knock. In the whole time he was standing there, Matt didn't hear one single noise come from the room, but he knew the boy was inside. Finally, after calling himself several choice words that were more explicit versions of a coward, Matt knocked on the door briskly three times.

For several heart beats, everything was quiet and Matt had almost convinced himself to leave when the doorknob turned and the door slowly swung open. Matt walked into the dark room, looking around for whoever opened the door, but there was no one there. Across the room was a large wall lined with computer monitors that were displaying live feed from the thirty surveillance cameras that were placed all around the orphanage. In front of these monitors, curled up in a desk chair while putting together a jigsaw puzzle, was Near himself.

"How may I help you, Matt?" The boy asked without turning around. The redhead wondered how the boy knew it was him, but then he noticed his own image on one of the screens and noted the camera mounted in the corner of the room facing the entrance.

Matt kicked at a toy robot lying on the ground as he spoke. "You haven't been out of your room in-"

"Ten days, two hours, and forty-three minutes." Near finished for him while he twirled a piece of hair around his middle finger. "So Roger sent you to get me out of my room, did he? I see the price was to allow you and Matt to move in together. Congratulations." There was absolutely no inflection in the boy's voice and a shiver ran down Matt's spine to think L-ish Near had begun acting in just this short amount of time.

"Roger did mention it to us, and an agreement was made, but that's not the only reason I came." Matt stepped farther into the room, peering over the boy's shoulder at the puzzle pieces that were laid out on the metal surface of the desk. From what Matt could tell, all but a small handful of the large pile were completely white. "Near, I'm your friend and I was worried about you. I know what you went through was hard-"

"Tell Roger I will begin attending my classes in the morning as usual. You can go back to your new roommate."

Matt sighed, dropping his head. Near had completely closed himself off. He was an emotionless robot like that ones he liked to play with. It was Matt's fault for not coming sooner. What kind of friend was he to let someone he cared about sit alone in his room and be miserable for ten whole days? "Near," he said softly, his voice quivering just a bit. "I'm sorry for everything I did to you. It's just as much my fault as it is his," he dared not say the name not only for Near's sake, but for his own. There was a growing resentment for that black haired asshole, and he didn't know if he would ever be able to feel any different. "I knew he was leaving, and I still played along with his little plan." He reached forward and placed a hand on Near's small shoulder. "I lied to you Near, and I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I couldn't live with myself unless I asked for it."

There was a silence that followed that was oddly soothing. Near didn't react at all to Matt's words or his touch, and he didn't pull his attention away from the puzzle in front of him. Matt just stood there listening to the hum of the monitors and the soft sound of pieces being placed and rearranged. Finally, Near spoke. "That will be all, Matt," the boy said simply, shrugging off his hand.

Matt let his hand fall before balling it into a fist. That was it then, he asked for forgiveness and was denied. There was nothing else he would do about it but walk away and leave Near to his own devices. A month ago, this would have been a simple task because he simply didn't give a fuck about the white haired pest, but so much had changed and he couldn't deny that he had grown to have some sort of affection for the boy. But now, none of that mattered. Despite what Matt thought, Near felt absolutely nothing, friendly or otherwise, for him. There was no words that could be spoken at that point, so Matt did all he knew to do and walked away.

**~/~**

Mello lay across the bed and stared up at the ceiling in complete boredom. Across the room, Matt was sitting at the desk in the room flipping through a textbook and mumbling angrily to himself. He had been like that for three days, ever since he went to see Near. Matt had come back to the room, his face twisted into something that was anger, pain, and distaste. Mello had tried to ask him what had happened between him and Near, but every time he tried to get some information Matt would simply change the subject. Since then, he didn't even glance at his gaming systems, touch the magazines about classic cars that he loved so much, or even smoke a cigarette. Instead he spent all day in class and all night studying. Something was definitely wrong. "Matt, how long are you going to keep this shit up?"

The redhead didn't look up, but kept flipping pages and writing down notes, occasionally stopping to pop his wrist or rub his tired eyes.

Mello was getting really pissed off at getting ignored. "Come to bed!" He whined. "It's after midnight."

There was still no reply and a flash of anger swept through Mello. He pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the desk, snatching the textbook and notebook from the boy and throwing them across the room. That was what finally got Matt's attention. "Mello!" He barked, his eyes flashing with rare anger. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm telling you to go the fuck to bed!" Mello yelled back. "You never study! What the hell happened in the fucking room?"

Matt's eyes softened, and his face fell, but he didn't speak. It infuriated Mello that Matt was keeping something from him, but he knew better than to push his boyfriend. Reluctantly, Matt pushed himself out of his chair and removed his clothes down to his boxers and white undershirt before pulling back the blankets on the bed and sliding beneath the sheets, all without saying a word. Mello sighed, willing his anger to leave him before following suit and settling into his side of the bed.

There was a silence in the room for a long time where there was nothing but the sound of light breathing from both of the boys. Mello stared at Matt's back, listening carefully for his breathing to change as a sign that he had fallen asleep, but there was none. Matt wasn't sleeping, he was just lying there and Mello could practically hear the wheels in his head turning.

"Matt," the blonde tried again. "Why won't you look at me?"

The red head rolled over in bed unceremoniously, his eyes staring directly into Mello's blue orbs.

Mello scoffed. "Do you always have to be such a smartass, Matt?"

The boy's eyes shut as he let out a sigh before they opened again, looking softer now. "I'm sorry, Mel." He whispered before scooting over and burying his face into Mello's chest.

The blonde felt his heart throb a bit as he wrapped his arms around his lover, holding him tight. He could tell that whatever happened hurt Matt, but he could also tell that he wasn't ready to talk about it. He let his hand smooth down Matt's back, offering what little comfort he could. "It's okay, Matt." He nuzzled his nose into the soft hair on the top of his head, breathing in his delicious scent.

And the two of them stayed like that for longer than either of them really knew, in each other's arms, giving each other strength, just being together. Right now, it wasn't about sex, it was about just being close. They both needed each other and they were both able to be together, something Mello knew he should be thanking some higher being for every waking moment of the day. Every once in a while, Mello would nuzzled Matt and place a soft kiss on his forehead and the redhead would tighten his arms around his boyfriend.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the bedroom door, and both of the boys jumped a bit. Matt disentangled himself from the sheets and walked to the door. He opened it to see a crumpled figure standing before him with white hair sticking out in all directions and large, silent tears falling down his flushed cheeks. No sooner than the door open did the little figure collapse into itself, but Matt was quick to catch him in his warm embrace before he hit the ground.

"Near," the redhead said softly, running his fingers through his tangled hair. "It's okay. I'm here."

No whimpers broke through the boy's chest, but Matt could feel the silent tears soaking his shirtfront. "I forgive you," the little albino whispered desperately through his tears and Matt felt a lump rise into his throat. He quickly blinked away the moisture that was prickling his green eyes and pressed his cheek to the top of Near's head.

Mello watched the whole melodrama play out before him like a housewife watching her soaps. This was like some lovey dovey scene from a sappy romance flick. Finally, his curiosity got the better of him, and he spoke. "Is someone going to tell me what the fuck is going on, or will I have to tune in to tomorrow episode of The Young and the Genius?"

Matt chuckled, sniffling a bit and pushing back Near, who was now rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. "We just had a bit of a misunderstanding." Matt explained, a grin splitting his face. "But Near has come around and we are going to help him put the pieces back together. Aren't we, Mel?"

Mello's eyes switched back and forth between the two boys. Matt was grinning beautifully, and even Near had a small smile that looked a lot like contentment. Mello may not have fully understood what was going on, but at that point it really didn't matter. Matt was happy, and Near was out of his room. Things were looking up for once in his life. Mello smirked. "Yeah, Kid. We may not be a whiz at puzzles like you, but we aren't going to give up on you."

Near's small grin grew on his face and a softness came to his features that not even he himself had seen in many years. Finally, he was safe, he was home, and he was going to be taken care


	13. Changes

_THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! Recently, I made a new Tumblr blog (you can find it under the username smutangel) and have been posting all of my smut there along with pictures and other things to make me squeal. As I posted all of these stories, I edited them and I realized that some of the chapters were pretty bad. SO I decided to update all of my chapters so they won't have all of those shameful mistakes! There are mostly typo and sentence structure fixes, but some chapters may contain slight changes in dialogue or action. _

**~/~**

"This is so fucking stupid!" Mello complained loudly as he threw his textbook and binder onto the floor in disgust. "What the hell does learning about America in the 50s have to do with preparing me to be a detective?" History was Mello's Achilles' heel. He absolutely loathed learning the subject and always did anything that was in his power to not study it. In fact, in all the years that Matt had known Mello, History was the only subject he ever made less than a B in and he did it on purpose to prove that he didn't have to ace it.

Next to him, Near very patiently picked up the book and sat it back on the bed. "Lessons that aren't learned from history are doomed to be repeated. We must all know the things that have happened in the world so we won't make those same mistakes," he explained as if he were a teacher for the past thirty years.

"Plus," Matt added with a grin. "You don't want some kid in the fifth grade to know more than you, do ya, Mels? Cause you're supposed to be a genius and all."

Mello chucked his pen at the red head with a grin. "Why don't you shut the fuck up and do your damn algebra? You're shit at it. Maybe I'll let you borrow my tutor." He winked at Near who grinned and looked down at the textbook, twirling his hair around his index finger.

"Much more of this and I will require payment for services," Near said gently and both the blonde and the red head laughed lightly.

Matt turned his attention back to his math homework, but there was still a grin painted on his lips. It had been about a month since the three of them were brought back to Wammy's and three weeks since Near had showed up at their bedroom door. Nearly every night from that moment on, the albino would come to their room and stay and talk with Matt and Mello until he fell asleep. At first, the talks had been very serious and heart breaking, many times resulting in Near opening up about the pain he was feeling and allowing himself to let those emotions out. Because of that, the three of them got much closer and that resulted in nights that weren't so dramatic. Sometimes they would simply curl up in bed together and watch movies until they fall asleep. It was obvious by his actions that Near needed people he could depend on to be close to him, not in a sexual way, but absolutely in an intimate way. He craved having people that he could truly trust without the fear of them up and leaving, and Matt and Mello were just the right boys for the job. Since that night, there had been a tremendous change in Near's attitude. What was a boy who was broken hearted and untrusting of anyone was now a boy who could easily smile and be comfortable in the company of others. Of course, he only acted this way with Matt and Mello. When in the presents of anyone else, Near was his characteristic quiet, stoic, emotionless, serious self. Actually, Matt felt a bit of pride to have been chosen to be one of the two people in the whole world who got to see the real Near that was so rarely presented.

Matt felt something hit his lap and he peered down to see Mello had stretched himself across the bed and rested his head on Matt's lap. The red head looked down and raised an eyebrow. "Your History lesson is down there, not up here," he joked.

"Shut up," he rebutted. "I'm taking a break. Everyone has to take a study break or they will exhaust themselves."

"One would have to first study to warrant a break, Mello." Near said with a slight smirk on his face.

Mello rolled his eyes dramatically, playfully kicking at the albino before turning his glare to Matt. "This is your fault," he accused with a smirk. "He's been spending too much time with you."

"Has he? Maybe you have too." He leaned down and planted a kiss on Mello's lips that had been intended to be fairly chaste and innocent, but it quickly deepened when Mello reached up a hand and tangled his fingers in Matt's red locks and bit at his bottom lip, requesting access. Matt eagerly gave him what he wanted and sighed softly when he felt Mello's tongue brush against the roof of his mouth. Truthfully, it had been a month since the two of them had been together, and it was taking its toll on the both of them. It was extremely easy for Matt to allow himself to get caught up in Mello, but he suddenly felt as if he was being watched.

His green eyes flashed up and he saw a grey pair looking shyly at the two of them. Near's face had a perplexed tone as he silently twirled his hair around his finger and he even bit at his bottom lip subconsciously. There was a thrilling spark that went off inside of Matt that he had never felt before as he locked eyes with Near and kissed Mello with all the passion and sensuality he could muster, causing the blonde to whimper and arch his back a bit in order to press his lips harder to Matt, craving more of him. Suddenly, as if Near was snapping back into reality, his face colored red and he cleared his throat, snapping his textbook closed and sliding off the bed.

Mello noticed the movements and was the one who broke the kiss. "Where are you going?" Lately, he had become hypersensitive to Near. He had gotten used to the little albino always being in a close proximity and even became accustomed to it and noticed when he wasn't there. As of late, there was only a couple of hours in a day where you couldn't find Matt, Mello, and Near all together, even at night. It was an absolute norm for Near to spend the night nuzzled right in between the blonde and red head. Somehow against all odds, they had become some weird little family of three dysfunctional teens that fit together like missing pieces of a puzzle and kept each other sane.

Near couldn't help but grin a little bit. At first, it had been odd to have not only one, but two people who cared about him at all times and actually wanted to be around him. Now, he had to admit that it was nice to always know that there were two individuals on which he could depend. "I have a meeting with Roger," he explained. "He says that he must speak with me about something of the utmost importance."

Matt perked up a bit. "What do you think it's about? Did you do something wrong?" The redhead was definitely the paranoid one of the group. Ever since they got back, he always seemed to be looking over his shoulder for Roger to catch them doing something he could separate them for. Truthfully, neither Mello nor Near were all that worried about it. For Mello, he knew that if Roger or anyone else ever tried to break up the first family he had in years he would give them hell until they fucked off. Near, however, knew of his advanced placement in the house and was aware that Roger would do nearly anything the boy wanted to pacify him. If he had to, Near would be as complicated as possible in order to keep things the way they were now.

The white haired boy shook his head. "I've done nothing that would require reprimand. I'm sure it is just some assignment or case."

Matt chewed on the inside of his cheek, a painful and annoying habit he picked up when his cigarettes weren't within arm's reach. When Near was out of the room, the teen shoved all the books off the bed and laid down next to Mello with an exasperated huff.

The blonde propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at his forlorn boyfriend. "What's the matter?"

Matt raised an eyebrow. Lately, Mello had been much more conscious about Matt's attitude and mood changes. Before, Matt could sit in a corner and pout all day long and Mello would never think twice about it until he wanted something from the red head. Admittedly, this wasn't entirely Mello's fault. All their lives, Matt knew that Mello was oblivious to anything and everything that didn't directly affect him in that moment and he had chosen to overlook that because the things Matt loved about the blonde greatly outnumbered the things that annoyed him. But since the day they were brought home and Near had his breakdown, effectively smashing the only thing Mello had ever given him on the pavement, there was a change in the blonde that was actually positive. He spent much more time paying attention to Near and Matt's actions and was actually amazing at figuring out when something was up. It was as if he was in permanent detective mode.

Lost in thought, Matt didn't realize how long he look to answer the blonde and only came back to life when he received a punch in the arm. "Answer my damn question!"

Matt grinned. Mello may have been more attentive, but he was just as impatient as ever. "How do you feel about Near?"

Mello rolled his eyes and fell back on the bed. "Are you my counselor now? Why are you asking me such a dumb question?"

Matt bit the inside of his cheek and looked away. "No reason."

This piqued Mello interest and he looked over to his red headed pain in the ass lover. "How do YOU feel about him, Matt?"

The boy scoffed. "Now who's being the counselor? Just drop it."

"No way!" Mello shouted. "You brought it up so you must have something to say." He sat up and crossed his legs Indian style, facing Matt. "How do you feel about Near? Do you like him? More than a friend?"

Matt refused to look at Mello, finding the discarded books on the floor suddenly very interesting. There was a heat rising in his cheeks and the last thing he wanted was for Mello to see him embarrassed. He would never hear the end of it.

Unfortunately, his wish wasn't granted. The blonde raised his eyebrow and his mouth pulled into a devious half smile that screamed trouble. "That's it, isn't it? You want Near."

Matt looked up to see his boyfriend giving him a suggestive look and Matt went red all over. He rolled his eyes in an attempt to seem nonchalant and shrugged. "So what if I do? He's a really nice guy and we got close." Matt subconsciously bit at his bottom lip when he remembered when Near had asked him to teach him how to kiss and how surprised Matt had been when Near picked up the art very quickly.

"How close?" The blonde was watching Matt closely as if concentrating on him hard enough would magically give Mello the ability to read minds. In that instant, something in Matt's face dropped and he seemed terribly guilty, confirming Mello's suspicions. He took a breath, honestly shocked with himself that he wasn't absolutely seething with rage that someone else had touched his Matt. Then, his mouth started speaking words that surprised even him. "Matt, you can tell me. I won't be mad about it."

Matt's brow pulled together in confusion. "You won't?"

"I won't," Mello confirmed, but it almost sounded more like a question as well. The blonde took a moment to think about it. He honestly didn't care that something may have happened between Near and Matt, but why was that? The answer was simple: the three of them belonged together. All their lives, they grew up together and although Mello and Near rarely got along until just very recently, they still had to exist in the same space as the other. After the day out with Near, Mello felt some part of him slide into place and everything all of a sudden made sense when the three of them were together. At first, Mello convinced himself that it was Matt's sheer determination that kept the piece. Then, they returned home and Near disappeared. From the moment Near stormed off, something inside Mello had felt off and it didn't feel right again until the white haired boy came to their room that night. From then on, Mello couldn't ignore it. The three of them were somehow tied together. After that revelation, a change came over Mello and he realized then that it was his job to take care of Matt and Near and he had to learn to let them take care of him. He smiled softly at his love, a gentleness coming over his face that was extremely rare. "You can tell me."

Matt shook his head, looking down at the duvet and tracing the intricate pattern with his index finger. "He asked me to teach him how to kiss," a deeper blush colored his cheeks and he chuckled. "And he was a really quick learner."

Mello couldn't help but grin. "Hasn't he always been a quick learner? He isn't next in line for no reason." Images of the two of them kissing each other sparked other more illicit images in Mello's brain and he couldn't deny how appealing a situation such as that was to him. "If he kisses like you, it has to be good. Way better than that asshole deserved that's for sure."

The redhead grinned from ear to ear. "Mihael Keehl, are you fantasizing about me and Near?"

A seductive grin curled Mello's plump lips and he leaned in, stealing a kiss from his beautiful lover. "It may have crossed my mind."

Matt gratefully accepted his kiss and when it was over the both of them allowed their lips to linger. The redhead lightly bit at Mello's bottom lip, an action that he knew drove the blonde crazy and he grinned when he felt Mello shiver lightly. "Tell me your fantasy," Matt suggested as he ran his fingers through Mello's hair slowly.

**~/~**

Near had been sitting in Roger's office alone for precisely twenty two seconds now, his mind working at an accelerated speed to try to figure out what was going on. From the moment he stepped foot in Roger's office, he knew something was wrong. Roger wasn't a man to let emotions show, but he had always harbored a soft spot for Near. Usually, a small smile or at least a look of contentment greeted Near upon arrival to their meetings. Today however, his face was blank with only the slightest trace of worry that anyone who didn't know him well would have missed. He had greeted Near curtly, another odd thing, and then told him to sit while he stepped out for a moment. All these things combined, Near knew something unpleasant was coming.

Just then, the door to Roger's over swung open slowly and as Near's eyes rested on the figure that was now before him he felt as if all the oxygen had been stolen from his lungs and a cold shiver of contempt raced down his spine. He took in the faded jeans, white t-shirt, and wild mess of raven hair and what he once treasured not very long ago was like salt being forced into his only partially healed wounds. He refused to look at those obsidian eyes that he knew were watching him carefully in fear that what little self-control he did possess would be shattered instantly. Near had never felt malice or loathing for another human being, but he knew instantly what these emotions were when they raised their ugly heads for the first time.

To no surprise, the guest was the one to speak first. "Hello, Near." Was his simple greeting.

Near felt as if he was going to explode. Hello? Hello!? That was all the genius had to say? After seducing, bedding, then betraying someone, all he had to stay for himself was hello? A frightening amount on anger was coursing through Near and actual thoughts of violence came to his mind. Instead of acting on those impulses, Near straightened his back and squared his jaw. "L," was all the greeting he afforded the man.

Something like worry or disappointment flashed him L's eyes, but went no further. "I understand that you are angry with me, and the transition back to the orphanage was not an easy one."

Not wanting to discuss emotions with the man he felt so strongly against, Near got right down to business. "You did not come all the way here from Japan to ascertain my emotional state. Had you been worried at all about that then you would have handled the situation differently. What is it that you want?"

Near watched as L took a deep breath through his nose and held it for a second before exhaling. He then took his time in pulling one of the other chairs across the floor crouched in it like a frog. Only when he was sufficiently comfortable did he speak again. "I came for three reasons. The first was to make amends for my irrational and irresponsible behavior. I realize now that when you were in my care, I allowed myself to feel certain things that were inappropriate and I failed in being an adequate caretaker. Our relationship was highly unprofessional and I should have never allowed it to progress the way it did. In many ways, I took advantage you, and I am sorry that my actions had a negative emotional effect." His eyes scanned the room quickly for a moment before he leaned forward and continued speaking. "But I will not apologize for that night." His normally stoic mask slipped away for a moment and Near could see actual concern and adoration in his eyes. "The things that I felt were real, I know that now. No matter how far away I attempt to run, the fact that I hold you in a different place in my mind will never change. And you deserve to know that. I understand that you are angry at me for leaving so suddenly without explanation or a goodbye when you were so vulnerable, but I never want you to be angry because you thought I used you. That was never my intent."

Near listened calmly thought L's small speech, his mind hearing every word but his heart rejecting the entire situation. The immense pain Near had felt for days on end once he learned the truth had taught him a hard lesson to keep as much of his heart to himself as possible. Humans, by nature, were highly imperfect and prone to hurting others. From then, Near knew he had to be extremely cautious and allow as few people as possible to get close to him to reduce the risk of being made weak from emotional distress. His logical side understood what L was saying and even took some solace in it, but his emotional half was having none of it. "I understand," he said mechanically. "What were the other two reasons you mentioned?"

L nodded, understanding that he had tried and basically failed at his first objective so he moved on. "I wanted to ensure that you and Mello were advancing in your practice to take my place. I am discussing an advanced track for the both of you to quicken your education and hasten the arrival of your so called 'graduation.'"

Near twirled his hair around his finger subconsciously. "Why is that necessary? Have you reason to believe you will need to be replaced sooner than expected?"

"Yes," L said calmly. "I have reason to believe that this case, the Kira Case, will be my last."

Time seemed to almost stop around Near and this awful pang of regret wracked his chest and twisted his stomach. There was only one reason a new L ever stepped forward: the previous could no longer act as the deliverer of justice to the world. Since L Lawliet was the first official L, everyone assume naturally that this time would come when he reached an age that he felt it necessary to step down and "retire." Near knew that he was far too young to be considering this and no case could possibly last long enough to carry him into retirement. That meant… "You believe you are in mortal danger? What about this case makes you think your life is in serious danger, any more than normal?"

L rose his thumb to his mouth and chewed it a bit, considering his answer. "This case is unlike anything we have ever had to deal with. I have a suspect that I am almost completely convinced is the killer, but I am having to put myself in a unique and dangerous situation to get the evidence I need. I am willing to do this because I know should something happen to me, there are people back home who will step up and take my place and see this to the end. I want to know that someone will bring this killer to justice." His eyes were shining with an ever so slight moisture and Near could swear he understood a touch of fear in them. L was very literally putting his life on the line to bring this person down, and he was asking Near to promise he would finish the job when – not if – the time came.

The white haired boy swallowed back a lump that was rising in his throat. "When it is necessary, I will not hesitate in stepping forward and finishing what you started under your namesake. The world will be safe in my hands." For anyone else to say that would have seemed absolutely ridiculous. To think that one person could be responsible for bringing justice to the world was absurd, but Near wasn't just some person. He had been trained since birth to uphold such a heady promise.

Visible relief washed over L's tense shoulders and he raised from his chair. "I have made arrangements with Roger and Watari to make sure the most update version of every piece of information we get on this case is recorded in a local, safe, and immediately accessible place for the next successor. I am also being kept up to date with progress in yours and Mello's education advancement. When the time comes, you two will immediately be made aware of the situation and told of my decision. From there, the chosen successor will be fully briefed on the situation in detail and given a team of independent investigators to choose from and create a team to help you close this case. It is normally preferred that L work alone, but this case is unique and I have learned that it is best to have a small, trusted group to aid in the hunt for evidence."

Near nodded, lost in his own thoughts until he realized L was leaving the room and something inside him made Near call out and stop the man. "Wait," he blurted suddenly. L turned and looked at him questioningly. "You said you had three reasons for coming. What is the third?"

L smiled gently. "Always so attentive. You will make a wonderful successor." He murmured before crossing the room again so he was at Near's side. Slowly, his hand reached out and rested on Near's shoulder. "I wanted to some and tell you goodbye. Very rarely do people get second chances in their lives, but I have been afforded the opportunity to do so. I was not going to allow my shame and selfishness to make me miss another chance at doing the right thing. There is a 96% chance that this will be the last time we will see or speak to one another, and I wanted to leave us with closure. What you do with it is up to you, but I know that I will come to peace with my end easier knowing that there were no harsh feelings left between us." Without warning, L awkwardly bent his frame lower and wrapped Near in a warm, tight hug.

The moment he felt L's arms around him, a crushing realization that this was truly happening hit him like a ton of bricks. L truly had reason to believe that this case was going to bring his existence to an end, and he was going what he could to tie up all loose ends before his time was up. Near took a deep, shaky breath and tried to hold himself together. True, he was quite angry with the way L handled things and he was still hurt, but that didn't change the fact that Near had once felt very deeply for the man and even now he didn't wish harm upon him. Unfortunately, it seemed as if no amount of wishing was going to ward off whatever was threatening L's life. When Near had a better hold on his emotions, he allowed himself to wrap his arms around L's crooked back and squeeze gently for just a moment. "There are no harsh feelings," he said softly. "I've forgiven you." Despite what his heart felt, Near knew that denying a man who was supposedly on the road to deal his final wish would have been the most selfish thing he ever did and would only led to a lifetime of regret. It was best to let go of the pain and try to move on.

L pulled away and smiled at the boy, ruffling his fingers through his hair playfully. "Thank you, Near. You will never know how much you have helped me." A twinge of sadness and contradictory warmth played across his face. "Goodbye," he whispered softly before turning and walking to the door.

Just before the wooden door closed, Near whispered "Goodbye, L," as he whipped away a single tear that had managed to break free and slide down his alabaster cheek.


	14. Moving Forward

**Author's Note:** _I want to go ahead and clarify so there is no confusion that yes, I did release chapter 13 and 14 at the same time. If you are starting here, go back one! The explanation is waiting in the AN of RTS 13. Also, the next chapter of The Mistakes We've Made is also up so be sure to go and check it out! As always, thank you to my beta and to all my wonderful followers who have been here from the start and those of you who are just now joining the family. After this chapter, I do regret to say that we will be moving into the final stages of this beautiful story. Story line progression is going to be big in the following chapters, but don't worry, I won't leave you all completely smutless! I'll try to keep the angst down to a minimum, but I make no promises. This story has taken on a life of its own and I have little control at this point!_

~/~

Near lay flat on his back staring up at the ceiling fan, his eyes focusing on one blade and following it around in the infinite circular path it was doomed to make until it finally broke. It was odd to think that one day he could simply flip the switch and the contraption would not work because of some internal error. The same was true for the blonde and red head that snoozed gently on either side of him. One day, their bodies and brains would simply stop functioning because of a simple internal error and there would be little to no warning beforehand. Before this afternoon, Near had given very little thought to how fragile people's lives were, but now he couldn't think of anything else. What would he do when Mello and Matt were no longer pillars in his day to day life? Logically, Near knew that one day the three of them would go their separate ways, more than likely Near would go one and the two of them would go another. He wondered dreamily what it would be like to know without a doubt that someone would be there in the morning for the rest of your life. Love like that was something rare that not everyone experienced in their lives, and Near was sure he could never be lucky enough to know this feeling. He was doomed to be alone, burdened to move through life on his own.

The albino sighed deeply, letting the new oxygen stretch his lungs to capacity before releasing the carbon dioxide slowly. His mind was far too troubled to allow sleep, so he closed his eyes and concentrated on the soft breathing of his two bed partners, hoping he would be lulled by it somewhat.

~/~

Matt watched Near intently. It had been nearly two hours since the three of them had went to bed, and the boy was yet to even close his eyes. Mello, of course, had been the first to fall asleep, and Near had been perfectly still until he was sure Matt was also asleep, but Matt was a good pretender. Now, his emerald eyes pierced the darkness as he scrutinized his friend.

Ever since he came back from his meeting with Roger, there was an unnerved expression on Near's normally calm face. Both Matt and Mello had recognized it immediately, and tried to investigate, but the boy wasn't having it. When they asked him about the meeting, he simply stated that he had learned the details of a particularly disturbing case and put an end to all questions. Mello, knowing full well that that wasn't the entire truth, decided to drop the subject, rationalizing that when Near was ready to tell them he would. Matt, however, was unsatisfied with that solution and wanted to know more.

Now, as Near stared at the ceiling, Matt desperately wished he could crack open the boy's brain and read the trains of thought that were clearly buzzing in his skull. Matt lay in silence for several moments and didn't speak until he heard Near take a sharp intake of breath and exhale slowly, a calming technique Wammy taught all of his charges at a young age to help quell emotions. That was all the confirmation he needed that something was troubling the white haired boy.

"What's really bothering you?" He whispered softly.

Near's head instantly turned to the side and his eyes locked with Matt's. "Nothing," he said quickly, far too quickly for Matt's liking.

The red head scooted over, put his hand on Near's shoulder, rested his chin on the top of his hand, and nuzzled his forehead to Near's cheek, a comfortable practice of closeness that had become the norm between them. "You know you can tell me anything," Matt whispered.

Near shivered a bit as he felt Matt's breath tickle his neck and he closed his eyes, reminding himself that he could trust this boy. "L came to see me today."

Matt immediately sat up, using his arm to prop his torso up. "What? When? What did he say? Where is he?" Beside them, Mello shifted a bit before rolling over and putting his back to both boys.

Near waited until Mello's breathing deepened to continue. This was no matter that made it necessary to interrupt the boy's deep sleep. Additionally, Mello was always grumpy when first waking up, and Near didn't fancy a visit from cranky Mello. "That is what Roger wanted to see me about. L came to drop off details about his latest case." He pursed his lips. "And to say goodbye."

Matt rose an eyebrow. "Goodbye? Why?"

Near rolled over into his side facing Matt but not looking up at him. "He seems to think that someone or something involved in this case, he called it the Kira Case, will end his life. He wanted to be sure I would finish his work and to ask my forgiveness."

The red head was silent for a moment, letting what Near said sink in. Coming from anyone else, it would have sounded very odd, but L usually knew what he was talking about. If he believed his life was coming to an end, it probably was. And Matt couldn't imagine how Near felt about that. Despite the pain L had caused him, Matt knew that Near still had some feelings for the man. Gently, Matt ran his fingers through Near's downy hair, pushing it away from his round face. "Are you okay, Kid?"

Near blushed softly at Matt's touch before nodding. "Yes." He took a breath. "I will be. I'll learn to move forward."

The red head smiled softly. "You don't have to do it alone, you know. Mello and I are here for you. We want you to let us take care of you."

Near looked up at Matt curiously. "You two want to take care of me? Why?"

Matt shrugged. "We care about you." He grinned. "Even if you can be an emotionless statue sometimes."

Near thought about it for a long moment. The last time someone said they wanted to care for him, they disappeared without any explication. But he had to remind himself that Matt and Mello weren't like that. He had to let himself trust that when they said they were going to care for him, they meant it. Finally he answered. "I'd like that very much."

With a beautiful grin, Matt leaned forward and pressed his lips to Near's quickly. The kiss was soft and chaste, but it still sent a pleasure shock down Near's spine. He remembered how it felt to kiss Matt on the couch that day and he wanted to feel that sensation again, but he was immediately concerned about something else. "But Mello-,"

"Doesn't mind," Matt finished for him. "In fact, he likes you too. When I said we want to care for you, I meant that in every way possible. We want to give you the same things we give each other. Love, loyalty, devotion," he blushed a bit, looking down. "Satisfaction."

Near rose an eyebrow. "You're asking me to be in a trinogamous relationship with you and Mello?"

Matt chuckled softly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I suppose I am. What do you say?" He nudged Near playfully. "Fancy being a member of our weird little family."

Family. That word made Near smile softly. Orphans didn't have families so they had to make their own. Now he was making his. "Yes. I do fancy that."

Matt smiled back gleefully. "Good, because you didn't really have a choice. Had you said yes, I would have went to more drastic measures to convince you."

Near chuckled. "What were some of said methods?"

Matt leaned forward again and captured Near's lips in a long, slow kiss. As he pulled away, Matt's teeth gently bit Near's bottom lip.

The albino blinked blankly, clearing his throat as his face colored pink. "Maybe I should have resisted."

"Nah, you'll get better rewards by being obedient," Matt said with a wink and Near had visions of the day spent at the sex shop. His blush deepened and Matt laughed. "Sleep now, my new pet. You'll need your energy." He kissed Near again quickly before lying his head on his pillow and closing his eyes.

Near followed suit, a permanent blush and small grin pained into his face as he drifted off to the first pleasant sleep he had experienced in weeks.

~/~

Mello yawned hugely as he was being gently pulled out of a deep sleep. For some reason, his arm was cold. Subconsciously he reached up and felt the affected area only to realize that the blanket that had been covering him was now gone. Annoyed, the blonde rolled over and reached out blindly for the duvet and was a bit surprised when he came into contact with something soft and warm. His crystal blue eyes opened slightly to see a peacefully sleeping Near with his face nuzzled comfortably in Matt's chest with the red heads arms tightly around him.

The blonde eyed the pair closely, remembering the conversation that he only slightly eavesdropped on the night before. He was actually quite proud of how clever he had been. When the two of them started talking, Mello had very suddenly decided to roll over in his sleep and was sure to regulate his breathing so they would think he was fast asleep. With his back safely to them, Mello was free to listen to every word the two of them said. His only regret was he didn't get to see that kiss that he knew happened. Oh well, he would just have to make sure he was front and center the next time it happened.

A small grin played on his lips when he noticed that somehow the one blanket that the three of them shared was now all tangled up between Matt and Near. Matt was already a blanket hog, and if Near proved to be one also Mello would have to claim the middle of the bed to keep from freezing to death. Slowly, the blonde shifted over until his chest was firmly pressed against his newest bed partner's back and he carefully wormed his arm between the two snoozing boys and pulled the tangled duvet free and did his best in draping it over the three of them. Once he was comfortable, he nuzzled his face into the nape of Near's neck and allowed himself to drift back off to sleep with Near's clean scent in his nostrils.

~/~

Near could feel a warmth on his face and there was an orange color filtering through his closed eyes. Obviously, the sun was up and Near's body was trying to tell him it was time to start the day. However, Near was not the least bit interested in doing such a thing. He was undeniably warm, comfortable, and… happy for the first time in a while. Behind him, he felt a body shift behind him and an arm tighten around his waist. His grey eyes slowly opened and he took a moment to recognize his surroundings. He noticed that Matt's side of the bed was empty and was able to utilize the process of elimination to realize that Mello was the one holding him at that moment. Experimentally, Near shifted, moving his hips in a slight circle. In response, the blonde groaned in protest and his arm tightened in an effort to still the wiggling boy in his arms. Near couldn't help but grin slightly at the reaction he pulled from Mello.

Deciding that his current position was one he wanted to uphold for a while longer, Near made himself comfortable against Mello and looked around the room, familiarizing himself with the surroundings. He had noticed Matt's absence since he woke up, but only now did his mind find time to wonder where he had actually run off to. The boy looked around the room slowly for evidence and it didn't take him very long to figure it out. The door to the bathroom was wide open and the sound of the shower running could be barely heard over Mello's light snores. From the angle of the bed to the shower stall, Near could almost see the frosted glass door that served as the only privacy barrier between Matt and the rest of the world. If he could just sit up a bit he would be able to see it head on… As soon as he tried to move, Mello tightened his grip and protested with a harsh huff. Near huffed back. This was just his luck. His mind was driving him crazy with curiosity and he was basically being held hostage by the arm around his waist.

Fortunately, his curiosity didn't have to run wild very long because almost as soon as he decided to stop struggling to sit up, he heard the shower shut off and a dripping wet Matt strode back into the bedroom wearing only a towel that was loosely fastened to around his narrow hips. Near couldn't help but stare at his glistening body and was a little surprised when his mind began to wander in a highly x rated direction. Specifically, he wondered what would happen if that towel were to happen to slip from his hips and onto the floor…

"Good morning, sleepy heads!" Matt's cheerful greeting snapped Near back into reality and his face broke out in a blush when he realized he had been gawking over the red head's body.

Beside him, Mello moaned, releasing Near and rolling over on his back. "Do you have to be so damn cheery in the morning, Matt?" He sat up in the bed then, stretching and rubbing the sleep from his blurry eyes before focusing on his boyfriend. "Bloody hell! Would you please up on some fucking clothes?!"

Playfully, Matt stuck out his tongue before snatching a pair of green Triforce patterned boxers from the dresser drawer and disappearing back into the bathroom. Mello shook his head and fell back onto his back, yawning hugely.

"Does Matt usually make a habit of walking around nearly in the nude?" Near asked sheepishly.

Matt scoffed. "Only when he's trying to show off."

"Excuse me!" Matt said, reentering now scantily clothed in his boxers with his still damp hair sticking to his forehead. He jumped into the bed on Mello's side and straddled the blonde who groaned dramatically under and shifted to accommodate his lover's weight. "Are you talking about me?"

"Yeah I'm talking about you, shithead." Mello grinned and poked Matt between his ribs in a spot that he knew was particularly sensitive. The red head swatted Mello away, trying not to laugh as a sign of weakness. "You're the one skipping around here naked trying to show off that stupid body of yours."

"Stupid?" Matt puffed his chest out as if Mello's words were highly offensive. "I can remember several times not too long ago where you liked my body very much." The red head winked at his love before leaning down and placing a long, passionate kiss on his lips that lasted several seconds. Before their lips disconnected, Matt was already flashing a devilish look at Near who had been completely captivated by the show of affection between the two of them. "It would seem," Matt murmured against Mello's lips. "That Near and I have something important to tell you, Mels."

Mello tweaked up his eyebrow. "Do you?" He looked at Near and winked. "Would it have anything to do with the fact that we are all in some amazingly weird polyamarous relationship?"

"You eavesdropping fucker!" Matt said, slapping Mello playfully on the arm. "It was supposed to be a surprise."

"I don't do surprises, Matty." Mello answered coolly.

"I suppose Matt and I will just have to try harder to change that," Near piped in softly.

Both Matt and Mello shared a warm grin and Matt nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah?" Suddenly, Mello grabbed Matt's hips and rolled over, sending Matt through the air and landing him on his back on the soft mattress. "I'd like to see you two try." He placed a hard and passionate kiss on Matt's waiting lips, smirking when he heard Matt moan softly.

By now, Near had pulled his knees up to his chest and was twirling his hair around his finger as he watched the two of them make out. The poor little albino couldn't deny that the exchange was having a positive effect on his body and he hugged his knees tighter to his chest in an attempt to hide the swelling problem he was having below his waistband.

"Mels," Matt panted as he came up for air. "We are both forgetting someone." The red head rolled out from under Mello and crawled over to where Near was seeming to try to close within himself. Carefully, Matt nuzzled at Near neck until the albino angled his head to give him access. As soon as he did, Matt began to place warm, open-mouthed kisses on the soft pale skin. He then moved slowly from the crook of his neck to the space just under his right ear. "Will you let us love you, Near?"

The boy shivered slightly before nodding. He was rewarded with Matt gently cupping his cheek and placing another soft kiss on his waiting lips. Near allowed his eyes to slip closed and he melted into Matt, enjoying the warmth of his kiss as their pillowy lips melted together. The kiss was sweet and loving, sending a shiver down Near's spine when he felt Matt's fingers tangled in his white tresses. Just then, Near felt a new pair of hands tugging at the buttons of his shirt until they had come undone and those new hands were slowly caressing the younger boy's chest, fingernails lightly raking over his nipples and making him gasp.

Matt pulled away, tsking slightly at Mello. "Be careful, Love," he said in a husky tone. "Our new playmate isn't used to rough treatment." He moved down Near's body and lovingly kissed the center of his chest before lightly teasing one of his nipples with the tip of his tongue.

Near sucked in a breath, biting at his bottom lip as Mello began to nibble and suck at his earlobe. The albino was in sheer ecstasy as the two mouths pleasured his tepid flesh. Heat was beginning to pool in his cheeks and other lower regions of his body and there was a dull ache was beginning to resonate in his loins. His arousal was rising quickly and he was starting to wish he had the power to make the two pairs of hands go where he wanted them for he knew all words had completely left him at this point.

As if by magic, Matt's hands suddenly did begin a slow descent downward to Near's waistband and he tugged until he managed to work the pajama pants down past mid-thigh. Normally, Near would have been highly self-conscious of the fact that he was partially naked and completely exposed to Matt, but Mello had moved his attention to the boy's mouth and Near was fighting to hold on to his very own sanity. Unlike Matt, Mello's kiss was hard and dominant, demanding every ounce of Near's attention. His teeth grazed Near's lip and his tongue slip across the roof of the boy's mouth and the inside of his cheek, pulling a soft sigh from Near. The white haired boy's attention wasn't pulled away until he felt a hot, slick mouth wrap around the swollen head of his member and suck gently. At this, Near let out a faint cry into Mello's mouth and his breathing hitched dramatically.

Through the lust haze that was forming in Near's brain, he heard Mello chuckle and he felt his lips slowly graze across his cheek and come to rest at his ear. "You like that, don't you, honey?"

The endearment from someone like Mello sent an additional wave of euphoria down Near's spine and he nodded frantically, trying and failing to catch his breath.

"So tell him," the blonde encouraged.

Near gulped, taking a shaky breath. "I-I like it."

Mello bit at his earlobe and raked his nails down Near's bare chest. "You're going to have to give him better encouragement than that, Near. If you don't want him to stop you have to give him a reason to keep going."

The little albino nodded, shuttering as he felt Matt take more of his member in his mouth. "Oh Matt!" He explained suddenly, louder than he had intended. At first, a deep blush broke out on his cheeks but an encouraging moan from the red head and a rewarding kiss from Mello inflated his ego. "T-that feels so good." In response, Matt took even more of his length into his warm mouth and Near could feel his tip coming close to the entrance of Matt's tight throat. Suddenly, the red head began to swallow around the head of Near's member and a choked cry of pleasure escaped Near's throat.

"That's more like it," Mello whispered as he tangled his fingers into Near's hair, massaging his scalp softly. "Let him know it makes you feel good."

Near let his head rest on Mello's shoulder and his eyes roll back slightly as he enjoyed the sensation of receiving oral satisfaction from Matt. He had heard the two of them making love at night and often wondered what in the world was causing them to be so loud. Now, he was finding it difficult to keep his own voice down. Desperate for some control, Near tangled his fingers in Matt's tresses and tried to resist the urge to buck his hips and force more of his member into Matt's mouth. The blonde kept whispering little words of encouragement, but he couldn't make sense of them through the roar of blood in his ears and the fog of ecstasy in his brain. All mental processes had shut down and the albino was running strictly on instinct. His fist tightened in Matt's hair and he pressed his forehead harder into Mello's shoulder, biting down harder than he had intended on the boy's skin, but he didn't care. At that moment, all the boy wanted to do was gain release from this tremendous pressure that was building in his lower abdomen, much greater than anything he had felt previously. Constant cries and pleas were spilling from his mouth and he knew they made little sense but he had no power to change them.

He felt Matt's hand squeeze the base of his member forcefully and a surge of lightning shot through the boy's body. He cried out desperately and went limp against Mello when he felt himself release into Matt's waiting mouth. The red head greedily swallowed every drop of Near's essence and was meticulous as he cleaned the remnants that he might of missed off of the boy's still throbbing member. Meanwhile, Near had fallen back on his pillow, panting harshly and trying to clear the fog from his brain. When Matt was satisfied that his work was complete, the red head crawled up to Near's side and leaned over him, placing an exuberant and exaggerated kiss in Mello's lips, who was sure to moan in response.

"I think you wore him out," Mello commented, running his hands through Near's sweat dampened mane.

"Pity," Matt purred as he kissed the boy's forehead. "And it's only ten in the morning. I was planning a whole day of fun things for us to try."

Near's eyes immediately popped open and he snapped into focus. "What time is it?"

"A few minutes after ten. Why?" Mello questioned, tilting his head to the side. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes!" The albino answered as he frantically pulled his pants back into position and tried to redo the buttons of his shirt and failed over and over again until Matt took over and make quick work of the project. Near murmured a slight thank you before sliding off the bed and looking in the mirror to try and fix his disheveled appearance. "I have my first lesson at precisely ten. I'm late!" In a hurry and only slightly stressed about being late for the first time in his life, Near rushed out of the room without so much as a farewell to his new lovers.

Mello chuckled, falling back on the mattress and propping his head up on his heads. "That kid needs to loosen up, and it's our jobs to help him."

Matt grinned. "Challenge accepted," he said as he straddled Mello's hips. "But first, I have a little problem of my own that needs some attention." He grabbed Mello's wrist and pressed it to the tent in the front of his boxers.

Mello smiled devilishly, squeezing the swollen member and enjoying the small purr it elicited from the boy. "Seems as though I have my own challenged to accept." He sat up and kissed Matt deeply then before flipping him over and pinning him to the mattress. Both boys paused a minute to grin knowingly at one another. One think was for certain: these next few weeks were going to be very interesting.


	15. Thank You, Master

**Author's Note:** _So who missed me? Anyone give up on me yet? Yeah, I kinda figured. Firstly, I AM SO FREAKING SORRY FOR HOW LONG THIS CHAPTER TOOK! Seriously, guys, I am so embarrassed, but y'all have to believe me when I say this chapter was a challenge. I'm pretty sure if I changed the concept one more time, the lovely E2U would have beaten me up. We both started this chapter at least four times before I finally settled on what I was really gonna do. But, anyway, here it is: the long awaited 15th chapter. Just so you guys know, summer is coming up. I have about two weeks left in university before I am out for three months and I honestly want to get this finished in that time span. We still have (and don't hold me to this) about 5 or maybe 6 chapters left, and I really want to get those done soon. Since summer is nearly here, I will have a lot more time to write. Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to get another one up until after finals, but please just be patient with me. I promise I won't desert y'all for months at a time again. Also, don't worry! I still have plenty more stories coming even after this one is done. _

**Just a side note:**_ This chapter and the next two are really going to work a lot like one shots. Honestly, they are. They won't really have much storyline progression but that is simply because I wanted to take the time to simulate time passage and develop the new little relationship we got going on here. Plus, I know you guys wanted some more smut! _

_As always, special thanks to my beta __**E2U**__ for being patient with me and taking time out of her crazy busy schedule to edit this and to my amazing __**Kittsy**__ for helping me write this chapter! I love y'all and this wouldn't have gotten done without y'all's (that's not really a word…) help! Thanks to all you guys who have favorited/followed/reviewed! I get a little burst of pleasure every time I see someone has noticed this little mess of a story! Now… What you all have been waiting for… _

~/~

Near's head was throbbing relentlessly and all he wanted to do now was not think about a crime case. For the past four hours, he had been locked away in a spare classroom with Roger going over old crime scenes. The aging man informed Near that Watari and L had suggested a more intense curriculum for the boy, and Near had thought he would have been fine with that, but now he wasn't so sure. His eyes were stinging mercilessly and there was an ache that went all the way down his spine. With a sigh, the young boy rubbed his eyes until he was seeing stars as he walked slowly down the long corridor that lead to his bedroom. Because of this morning's activities, he hadn't had the time to take a shower and change his clothes, which only made him feel worse. Right now all Near could concentrate on was a hot shower, fresh set of clothes, and silence.

As soon as he made it to the safe confines of his room, Near went straight to the dresser and pulled out new clothes, pressing them to his face and breathing in the soft lavender scent that clung to the fabric. He always did love the smell of freshly laundered clothes at Wammy's. It was the scent of home. A scent that always made Near feel at ease no matter what was going on. After gathering his things, Near went into the bathroom and set the shower thermostat to precisely 98 degrees (Near always had the most state of the art gadgets in his room, mostly because he drew up the designs himself and commissioned one of the other orphans to build it) before stripping off his old clothes and throwing them into the hamper.

The albino stepped into the shower then, hissing ever so slightly as the scalding water hit his back. The boy sighed, his shoulders falling as the tension rushed from his body. He needed this, a time in complete privacy where he had time to think. In the past 24 hours, Near had been on an emotional roller coaster of extreme highs and lows the likes of which he hoped to never see again. Truthfully, he knew that what he was doing wasn't the wisest for his emotional health, but that could be said stretching all the way back to that first night he ran to L Lawliet during that silly thunderstorm. He knew the moment he knocked on that door, he was crossing over a line that he could never retreat from. Only a few weeks later, he had went from a young genius who had nothing on his mind other than the tasks at hand and how he could improve himself to be the man he needed to be to protect the world to a simple teenager who spent more than a little time thinking about sex, dwelling on his past exploits, and eagerly wondering how his future ones would pan out.

He stayed in the shower until his fingertips got wrinkly and the water was starting to run lukewarm. Deciding his shower time was over, Near shut off the water and climbed out, drying himself off and dressing quickly. Suddenly, he heard something- no someone- in his bedroom. He walked into the other room to see a certain red head laying across his bed with a half burned cigarette hanging from his full lips and a PSP in his hands. In the other corner, his blonde accomplice sat cross legged on the floor trying to piece together the train set that Near had smashed on the driveway.

"Superglue," Mello commanded without looking up from the mess of broken pieces.

Near stood where he was, eyebrow raised.

Mello's clear blue eyes flashed up then. "Earth to Near," he said. "I need superglue. I know you have some."

"Top drawer," he answered, pointing to the workbench in the corner nearest to Mello. The albino then walked across the room and plucked the cigarette from Matt's mouth, dousing it in a glass of water he kept by his bed. "What are you two doing here?"

Matt shrugged, his eyes meeting Near's as his lips curled into a playful smile. "I'm lying on your bed." He jerked his chin towards Mello. "And he's fixin' your toy."

Near rolled his eyes, fighting back a grin. "I'm aware, Matt. More specifically, why?"

Matt rolled over on his stomach. "Because this bed is comfortable!" He sat up and crossed his legs, bouncing a bit. "Memory foam? Seriously!? We should have been using this instead of that stupid box spring in our room," he said with a devilish wink.

Near couldn't stop himself from grinning then as he shook his head. "Are you always this salacious?"

"You should see him when he hasn't had any action in a few days," Mello mumbled. "He goes from salacious to completely libidinous."

Matt cleared his throat. "You two are aware that just because I'm hot doesn't mean I'm an idiot right?" He put his hands on his hips. "Both of you just called me two different degrees of slutty." He grinned wistfully. "And I prefer amatory, thank you very much." He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Near's lips, tugging playfully on the hem of Near's shirt. Near's grey eyes immediately slipped closed as he let Matt's lips manipulate his for several seconds before pulling away gently. The red head allowed him to pull away, but he didn't release his grip on Near's shirt. "Mello isn't the only one who found something interesting in your closet," he announced proudly as he climbed off the bed and disappeared into the walk in closet.

"I must have missed the day in etiquette class when Mrs. Frowley told us that walking into someone's room and rummaging through their items was acceptable." Near said semi-sarcastically to Mello who was still concentrating on piecing together the train track.

The blonde grinned and shrugged. "The rules are different for people you are sleeping with." He chuckled. "She probably goes through Roger's shit every night."

"Are you suggesting-"

"Mello thinks Roger and Mrs. Frowley are riding the hobby horse." Matt said cheekily as he exited the closet and placed something on Near's head. "And you should really stop putting the things Mel and I buy you in the back of your closet. It sends the wrong message."

Near's hand reached up and felt the soft fur of his cat ears. He was silent as Matt wrapped the belt around his hips that attached the tail to Near as well. When Matt was satisfied that the tail was fitted properly, he grinned sexily. "I bought it for you. The least you could do is let me admire my handiwork." He ran his fingers through Near's hair, scratching his scalp gently before sealing the boy's lips with another soft kiss.

All the blood rushed to Near's cheeks and he could feel the wetness left on his lips by the red head. "Matt… I-sto-" His words were cut short when he felt Matt begin to lightly massage his scalp with his long fingers. All control was lost as a soft, purring moan escaped Near's lips and he relaxed into Matt's touch.

"I told you he loved it," Matt said with a giant smirk on his face. Near's eyes flicked over to the other side of the room where Mello was not staring at the scene in front of him, lust filling his blue eyes. "Don't you, Kitten?" Matt whispered in Near's ear lowly, massaging a bit harder.

"Yesss…" he sighed, feeling his knees begin to shake a bit and a shiver go down his spine as his eyes slipped closed. He could sense Matt's movements as the red head leaned forward and brushed away Near's hair to plant little kisses on the side of the boy's neck before his lips sealed around the pulse point and began to suck hard. "Ahhh..!" Near's eyes popped wide open and his hand immediately tangled into the soft vermillion strands.

Matt began to chuckle lightly, pulling away from the pet and admiring the red bruise he left of Near's stark white skin. "I don't have a collar for you, Kitten," the boy's voice had gotten husky and a bit thick, "but that will be enough to make it clear that you have a master."

Near blinked, the words not really connecting in his lust hazed mind. "M…Master?"

A gorgeous smile split Matt's face and made Near want to melt. "That's me!" He pet his kitten again, stroking his cheek lovingly. He then plopped down on the soft bed and tugged on Near's arm, inviting the boy to join him. When he did, Matt wasted no time in pulling Near down for a long, slow, loving kiss, only pulling away when he felt that Near needed air. Even when he did pull away, Matt was eager to stroke Near's cheeks and lips with his fingers, eliciting a deep blush in the boys cheeks.

"H-how can I please you, Master?" The weight of that one word sounded weird coming out of Near's mouth, but he did like the way it sounded. It meant that he actually was owned, and that was an immense aphrodisiac.

Matt's eyebrow rose and he put on a sexy smirk. "I think you know the answer to that question, Kitten," he said, glancing downward in a very suggestive way.

Near nodded a little, strengthening his resolve as he began to plant little kisses and licks on Matt's neck and collarbone. Above him, his master cooed softly and hummed in encouragement when the pet pawed the hem of his striped shirt, edging it up Matt's stomach. Knowing just what Near was suggesting, Matt was quick to grab his shirt and pull it over his head, tossing it in Mello's direction. Near continued his trek down the flawless expanse of Matt's chest and abdomen, biting lightly as he went and grinning when he heard Matt let out a husky grunt. When the boy had enough of teasing his master, he began to tug at the waistband of Matt's jeans, his eyes flashing up to the red head in seek of approval.

He nearly gasped when he saw that Matt was staring back at him, his emerald eyes glittering with need. Near knew the moment that Matt lifted his hips off the bed that he needn't ask for permission and was quick to yank the boy's pants and boxers down in one swift movement, taking a moment to marvel at how erect Matt already was. His tumescent member was lying against his stomach, the head bright red and the whole thing twitching every so often. Filled with lust, Near wet his lips before licking the entire length of Matt's member from base to tip. Matt's reaction was strong as he ran his fingers through Near's hair and muttered little words of encouragement to his pet. Feeling more confident than ever, Near took the opportunity to take the enflamed tip into his mouth and slide his mouth down slowly until his lips came into contact with the base of Matt's dick.

Meanwhile, Matt was gripping a handful of the clean sheets below him and concentrating hard on not thrusting his hips forward and choking his pet. The kitten's hot, wet mouth felt amazing on his desperately throbbing member and he had to bite down hard on his bottom lip to keep from releasing before he was ready. At the same time, Near's fingernails were sliding down the red heads abdomen and he was moaning around Matt's dick, adding an extra element of pleasure that was making all the control the boy had disappear. If he didn't stop things now, it would be over before it really even begun.

"Kitten…" Matt moaned deeply. "You've got to… Ngh… You've got to stop…"

Instantly, Near sat up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Master?" He cocked his head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

Matt shook his head before sitting up. "Take off your clothes," he demanded suddenly. The younger boy immediately did as he was told, only having slight difficulties getting his shirt off from the belt around his hips. When that was said and done, Near was made to sit in contemplative silence as Matt's eyes raked over his naked form, seeming to be coming up with all the dirty things he could do and considering exactly which ones he would try. After what seemed like an eternity, Matt barked another order. "Hands and knees, now. Put your face down on the pillow."

Near's eyes grew a bit wider at the roughness of the command, but his heart was also beating rapidly with anticipation. He did as he was old, a mix of arousal and humiliation filling them. Near very literally had his face down, ass up, and presumed that he was about to get fucked. Who would have never thought the boy that was arguably the second smartest person on Earth and the one with them most emotional control would be put into such a compromising position? Not him, that's for sure, but he suddenly realized that he wasn't complaining in the least. He wanted this.

Before he had any longer to contemplate the situation, Near felt something press against his tight hole and he let out a gasp. Matt wasn't wasting any more time as he pushed forward, forcing himself into Near inch by inch. In response, Near let out a loud moan that could probably be heard down the hallway. He briefly heard a slight snicker that didn't come from Matt and remembered that Mello was watching and it probably came from him. Just then, Matt's hips thrust forward harshly, bottoming out in his pet and shattering all trains of though and Near even thought about having. Nothing else mattered except for the delicious pain and pleasure of having Matt bedded deeply within him. To keep from crying out again and raising further suspicion, Near bit down hard on the corner of the pillow.

Matt grabbed Near's hips and began to thrust roughly into him, his fingers digging harshly into the pale flesh. There would be marks there later, but neither of the boys cared at the moment. All that mattered was sweet release. Matt loved the way Near's inner walls squeezed and massaged his member, as if begging for his release, and the moans and grunts that escaped Near's mouth every time Matt rammed into his prostate was absolutely maddening. The red head's entire body was shaking and there was no way he was able to hold on for one minute more. Without warning, Matt felt himself explode into his kitten and a harsh groan escaped him throat as he collapsed onto the trembling Near, his chest pressed firmly against the younger boys back.

There was several seconds of silence before Matt was able to pull himself together, his member still buried deeply within Near. When he was able to move, he brushed the sweat dampened hair away from the nape of the boy's neck and kissed it softly. "Such a good boy…" he whispered huskily into Near's ear.

"Thank you, Master," Near panted, barely able to make a coherent sentence with his fatigued mind.

From the other side of the room, the was the sound of a train whistle and a proud explanation of: "I fixed it!" from a certain blonde.

Near chuckled though the sleepy fog that was filling his brain. For the first time in his life, he understood happiness.


	16. Bedroom Games

**Author's Note:** _I guess I should start by saying how sorry I am that this took so long. Because there was so much time between updates, I've decided to cut one of the smut chapters so we can get back to the story. Don't worry, I have compensated by working extra hard and making this chapter so full of smut that it is dripping. Trust me, there is absolutely no story in this little chapter, and the smut is hot and heavy throughout. To help myself get through the rest of this, I am challenging myself to publish one chapter a week so I should be finished just before I go back to college. Unfortunately, I don't have a BETA anymore so I'm going to have to edit them myself, so I apologize in advance if I miss anything. _

_Also, I have to take a moment to thank all of you for being so supportive. I hate that I make all of you wait, but I love that you all keep coming back for more. Don't forget to leave your reviews! Nothing helps the writing process more than hearing that the fans are enjoying what they are getting. The next chapter will pick up with the story and we will get the ball rolling again! See you all next week! _

_~/~_

"Mmm…" Mello's slim hips lifted off the soft mattress as he ran his fingers through the white hair between his legs. "That's it, Little One." His breath hitched just a bit when he left Near's tongue move down the length of his straining member to tease his calls ever so lightly, something that would have tickled if he wasn't so aroused. "You love sucking cock, don't you?"

Near's cheeks flamed as he crouched between Mello's legs, his bare ass in the air as if it were an invitation to the whole world. Unfortunately he had forgotten to pack his tail and ears in the ten minutes they had before they left for the airport, so now he felt more exposed than ever, and he actually missed the little costume.

No matter how many times he played bedroom games with Mello –and he had done it a lot at this point- he could never quite get used to the filthy things that would come out of his mouth in the moment. Nevertheless, he knew he should answer or Mello would just ask again, louder and more crudely. "Y-yes, Master." He secretly enjoyed the way Mello's manhood would twitch when called by that title, so he was always content being the pet in the relationship. Truthfully, being adorable was something Near good at, so it only made sense that he took on the role.

The boy hissed slightly and tightened his hold on Near's hair. "Yes what?"

Near bit at his bottom lip gently and took a small breath before he could answer. "I love sucking cock."

Behind him, he heard a small moan and his eyes flashed up to the mirror that hung on the wall above Mello's head to see Matt sitting in a chair just a yard away from the bed stroking his own engorged member unabashedly. He was completely naked, as were the other two boys on the bed, as per Mello's request, so there wasn't a single inch of his body that was left to the imagination. Though, Near had seen both boy's bodies so intimately that there was no imagination needed. He knew them well. Near knew that Mello wasn't very fond of clothing, considering how little he wore himself, but he didn't know just how bad that hatred was until recently. Since they arrived in Tokyo just last night and were put into this large penthouse suite, Mello had ordered that no clothes be worn in this suite unless it was absolutely necessary, and both the redhead and the little albino listened to the alpha of their relationship without question.

Near was ripped out of his train of thought when he heard Mello chuckle and shift to sit up on the bed. He motioned for Near to come closer, and when he did, he was rewarded with a long, deep kiss that made him whimper and he felt an ache deep in his loins. When the kiss was broken, the blonde spread his legs a bit and patted the mattress, an invitation for Near to sit. As soon as he did, one arm wrapped around his abdomen to press his back flush against Mello's torso, and another wrapped around his waist and began stroking the tender flesh of his inner thigh that made Near swoon and rest his head against Mello's shoulder.

"You love this." At first, Near thought Mello was speaking to him and he was eager to reply until he saw his lust filled eyes glaring at Matt. The boy followed the line of sight to see the red head was smirking back at his lover, his hand squeezing his leaking need tightly as he continued to stroke it ever so slowly. In response, Mello's hand moved from Near's thigh to wrap around his semi-erect member, causing it to jump to full attention and eliciting a sharp hiss from the poor boy as he dug his fingers into the flesh of Mello's thighs. The boy behind him hissed sharply at the contact, but that didn't stop him from beginning to masturbate Near slowly for Matt to watch.

And watch he did. The boy's emerald eyes were glued to Near's private area and his own hand was keeping a fast pace as he stroked himself. Every once in a while, he would slide his other hand slowly up his chest to pinch and roll one of his nipples and a soft groan would escape his throat as he bit down softly on his bottom lip. Watching him do this aroused Near more and he would lean back against Mello, an act that would put pressure on the erection pressing against his backside causing Mello to squeeze Near's dick adding more delicious pleasure that he craved so much.

When Mello had tired with teasing Matt –or when his own arousal became too strong for him to bear- Mello motioned for the boy to join them. Matt climbed onto the edge of the bed on his hands and knees and grinned expectantly. "My hand is getting awfully tired," Mello whined at the redhead. "Don't you think you ought to take over since you weren't doing anything useful?"

Matt chuckled, wanting to stay in his obedient character mode, but still having to fight the urge to say something cheeky back. Normally, Matt didn't let anyone boss him around, and he was reluctant to ever completely submit in the bedroom the way Near did, but he and Near both learned quickly that if that played along with Mello's little role plays, there would be a tremendous payoff at the end. If there was one truth about the blonde, it was that he satisfied.

With this in mind, Matt silently crawled up the mattress like a panther stalking its prey and took the trembling boys throbbing dick in his hand as he sealed their lips in a passionate lover's kiss. Near couldn't help but sigh when he felt Matt's tongue explore the rows of pearly teeth before dipping deeper to tangle with his own eager tongue. Since that first time Matt had shown Near how to kiss all that long time ago, the two had kept practicing and Near had gotten quite good. It wasn't long before he started sucking Matt's tongue and nipping at his bottom lip, causing the soft, delicate skin to swell slightly. When Matt finally did pull away, his wet red lips and half lidded, lust filled eyes nearly made both Near and Matt swoon. If Mello was an expert at dominance, and Near was the world's greatest submissive, then Matt was a sublime tease. He always knew just what to do in order to make his lovers crave him whether it was the slow way he would undress himself for the soft little sighs and bites at his bottom lip he would do if he saw one of them watching him throughout the day. Even the way he ran his fingers through his dripping wet locks after a shower was enough to mesmerize anyone who may have been around.

With little warning, Matt laid down on his stomach between Near's legs and began to lick at his leaking member as if it were an ice cream cone. This, of course, was wonderful to Near, but it seemed as if Mello was enjoying the show even more. He was beginning to thrust his hips forward, rubbing his hot manhood against Near bottom as he watched Matt. And this was just fine by Matt. He loved being watched just as much as Mello loved to watch Matt and Near pleasure each other, so he was sure to make a big show out of slowly sliding his mouth down the length of Near and moaning loudly when the tip slipped down his talented throat, sending a vibration through the little albino that he could feel all the way to his prostate as the redhead stroked his own need.

Knowing that all three of them were getting close to climax, Mello ordered Matt to stop teasing Near so they could move on to the next event. Mello, being the voyeur that he was, always had a bit of a dilemma at this point. At first, he would either sit on the side of the bed and watch Matt and Near make love as he stroked himself to satisfaction, or if his need were two great he could wait for them to finish and recover so he could have a go as well. The problem with this was either Matt or Near would be left out and Mello always complained that he felt guilty even when both boys said they didn't mind. However, it didn't take long for Mello to figure out a way to include all three of them in a comfortable way that gave the maximum amount of pleasure to each person involved and this quickly became his new favorite position. Quickly, he laid Near down on his back with his head resting on a pillow and Matt, knowing this routine well, wasted no time in placing himself between Near's spread legs. Mello leaned over to retrieve the bottle of lube from the dresser and place himself directly behind Matt. The blonde tilted his boyfriend's head back to kiss him zealously as he poured a liberal amount of the lube onto his member and began to spread it, all the while leaning back enough to do the same to his own erection. When he was finished, Matt took a small amount of the substance and spread it over Near's entrance, still as cautious as ever not to hurt the boy, as if he were made of the finest china glass.

Carefully, he lined the head of his dick up with Near's entrance and pushed forward, the copious amounts of lubrication making him slide inside easily. Despite his hardest try, Near's body still tensed and it was several moments before Matt was able to move, but when he did it found Near's magic button almost instantly and set a slow, steady pace of moving in and out that made them both pant in pleasure and anticipation until the redhead leaned down and captured his lover's lips in a kiss just as slow and steady as his thrusts. Taking this moment to his advantage, Mello was quick to dispense more lube into his hand and began to slowly work two fingers in and out of Matt's opening, teasing his prostate in a way that made the boy moan into Near's mouth and buck his hips forward a little harder. When Mello was good and ready, he slid his own pulsating dick into Matt's heat and anchored his hips just as he thrust hard into Near, all three of them staying completely still and groaning nearly in unison. Then, Matt began to seesaw between the two boys, each push forward causing his tip to hit against Near's prostate and each pull back causing Mello's to hit his own. This was their well-practiced rhythm of lovemaking and all three of the boys were in complete ecstasy, Matt never being able to get enough of being inside Near and having Mello inside of him at the same time.

He would have been completely satisfied with this slow movements, but it wasn't long before Mello began to get impatient. His hips began to thrust forward at random, throwing off the balance and making Matt slam down onto him hard, which only made the redhead scream that in pleasure and thrust harder into Near, who would whimper as well. This caused a domino effect that was nothing but wild thrusting, groans, and curses. It wasn't long before all of them could feel themselves reaching their climax. This time, Near was the first to reach his peak. His face was flushed in a deep shade of pink and his face was pressed hard into the pillow as he moaned and grabbed two fistfuls off the silk sheets beneath him. Matt's thrusts became erratic and he was hitting his pleasure stop in an unpredictable rhythm that added to the pleasure. Suddenly, he felt his orgasm wash over him and his vision blurred and his back arched as he felt a warmth spread over his stomach. This caused a chain reaction and with only a few more thrusts both Matt and Mello climaxed and the same time, Matt falling to Near right and Mello managing to prop himself up on his arms as all three of them tried to get their breaths back. When the three of them were slightly back to normal, Near curled into Mello's side and was pleased when he felt Matt wrap his arms around him as well.

All three boys lay in each other's arms, dozing a bit when there was a sudden knock on the door. "Boys…" it was Roger's voice on the other side, but he didn't try to come in despite having a key to the room. "We are to be in Tokyo in one hour. I will be waiting in the lobby. Please hurry in making yourself decent."

They all groaned simultaneously, but Mello was the first to get up and claim the bathroom. "Decent?" he winked at his lovers lying lazily on the bed. "It may take more than an hour to make you two decent."


End file.
